AI Can Be a Help and a Headache

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly evolving and has the potential to transform the world around us. A notable recent development in AI is the creation of language models such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. These chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) to create human-like text based on user prompts and can be tweaked for specific tasks like answering customer service questions or writing emails. If used correctly, chatbots can potentially enhance efficiency and accuracy across multiple industries, including HVACR.

While most contractors have probably heard about these chatbots, many still have no idea how to use them in their businesses. At several of the breakout sessions at EGIA Contractor University’s EPIC 2024 Convention earlier this year, contractors asked how they could apply AI to their companies, and Gene Marks, CPA, author, columnist, and owner of the consulting firm Marks Group PC, had plenty of suggestions.

“There are so many things to do with it. For example, ask it to write you a blog,” he said. “Upload a contract with a supplier or a customer and ask it to look for any concerns. What is this contract potentially missing compared to other contracts of this sort? You’ll be blown away by the answers that it gives you. Want more traffic on your website? Just put in your website and say, ‘Make SEO suggestions for me.’ Do you need to come up with a discrimination and harassment policy, and you don’t know where to start? Ask ChatGPT.” That said, Marks advised contractors to not blindly trust chatbot-generated policies and to run them past the HR department to make sure they are correct.

He added that with Microsoft Copilot, contractors can ask the chatbot to draft proposals for customers based on uploaded meeting notes and product roadmaps.

“It will just go and draft the proposal for you, automatically, all formatted and ready to go. If you’re in Excel and you have a spreadsheet, ask Copilot to take a look at it and give you the top three key trends. And it will tell you, like, sales are trending up or manufacturing costs are down, or discount products made up nearly half of the total sales this past month. It’s another point of view, it’s another set of eyes looking at this data that’s giving you some advice.”

Terri Wilkinson, co-owner of Comfort Tech Heating and Cooling in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, who spoke in a different session, said she used ChatGPT to write up a short bio about herself for the conference.

“I punched in five bullet points, and it spit out a bio. I’m thinking it could work for newsletters and marketing pieces, as well as give me the ability to delegate the things that I would normally take care of myself. It gets you over writer’s block really quickly, like in minutes.”

In fact, writing is one of the primary tasks where AI can provide immediate assistance, said James Leichter, president of the software company, Aptora Corp., in another session at the conference.

“Start using it to create your marketing materials and assess your websites, and use it to help you write. Many of you probably don’t consider yourselves to be great writers, and you don’t have to be anymore. Let AI help you. But always proofread it, because the first iteration always needs a little bit of tuning.”

As wonderful as AI and chatbots can be, they can also be misused by employees, which is why Marks recommends that every contractor write an AI policy for their business.

“It is going to be one of the most important HR policies you have, because your employees are going to start using this stuff in a lot of goofy ways,” said Marks. “Mistakes are going to happen, and if you don’t have a policy, that opens you up to liability. But if you have a policy, then it protects you. You’ve got to write an AI policy ASAP that outlines who can use it, what it can be used for, what applications are approved, etc. By the way, where’s the best place to go to write an AI policy? ChatGPT. It’ll do a great job and take you to the next step.”