When and Why to Use AI

A guide for the everyday innovator.

A couple of weeks ago, I had what I can only describe as a homecoming of the soul—one of those rare moments when revisiting a place sparks both nostalgia and new perspectives.  

This time, it also sparked a revolution of the mind. 

I traveled back to Manhattan, Kansas—‘Manhappiness’ as the locals affectionately call it—a place I called home many years ago. This time, I was there on business, working with the wonderful team at the K-State University Foundation.  

But honestly, it felt like anything but business. 

The Little Apple: A Prairie Experience Like No Other 

If you’ve never been to “The Little Apple,” picture this: wide-open prairie under endless stars, vibrant college-town energy, and a charming red-dirt country music scene. I could go on, and on (and on). 

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to share my love for this magical little slice of the Midwest with my colleagues, one of whom had never set foot in Kansas, much less experienced the region’s charm.  

She wanted the full Midwest experience, and boy, did we deliver. 

We visited the Oz museum, soaked in a rooftop sunset at Tallgrass Taphouse, and even stargazed from atop the Manhattan sign. But the highlight? A windswept, 6-mile hike through the Konza Prairie—a breathtaking expanse of tallgrass that seemed to stretch to infinity. 

The wind was relentless, nearly toppling us at times, but the beauty of it all was worth every gust. My colleague couldn’t stop snapping selfies, hair flying wildly against a backdrop of hypnotically swaying tallgrass.

We were all awe-struck, standing there in what felt like a giant, windy snow globe (minus the snow, of course). 

And yet, despite the hundred—or maybe thousand—photos I’ve taken of that same prairie over the years, I couldn’t help but take a million more.  

And as I stood there, snapping yet another photo, it struck me: no matter how many pictures I take, they’ll never fully capture the magic of this moment—the way the wind moved the grass, the vastness of the horizon, or the sheer feeling of being there.  

The Imperfect Art of AI: What it Gets Right (And What it Doesn’t)

It reminded me of something else I’ve been grappling with: AI. Just like these pictures, AI often comes close but never quite captures the full essence of what it’s trying to recreate. On its own, AI is never quite right. 

Untrained, AI doesn’t quite capture your brand voice or your messaging. (Even trained, the writing output seems...kind of...robotic). Pun intended.  

It still needs all the tweaks from our flawed, but very real, emotionally driven human brains.   

Sometimes, AI on its own gets close enough visually to be creepy. Like “I-can’t-get-this-image-out-of-my-head-and-now-I’m-having-nightmares-about-it-creepy.” 

So, then it begs the question—What is AI good for and when should I use it? 

Beyond Data & Creativity: Practical AI Uses for Everyday Professionals 

I scribbled some notes in my notebook (actual paper and pen, glitter of course!) and did some research.  

I stumbled across two beautiful blogs about the topic, one from Avinash Kausik, who I typically fan girl over because oh, that data brain! And another from a writer I admire, Ann Handley.  

Both answered the question “How to use AI?” from their unique perspectives.  Avinash answered it as a data scientist, providing a framework around how to use AI and how much human-to-robot interaction is needed. Ann addressed it as a creative, answering the question, “How can AI help us writers best?” 

But what about the rest of us? What if I’m not a data scientist or writer? (I mean... I actually aspire to be both, but that’s a topic for another day). 

What if... 

• I’m an Executive Director at a foundation or association—how do I write my organization’s AI policy to reflect the ways in which I want my staff to use AI ethically?  

• I’m a marketing specialist at a university—how do I use AI to enhance the prospective student experience? 

• I’m working on a small team with a small budget—how do I use AI to automate tasks effectively and save time and money? 

• And all the other scenarios you can think of and struggle with everyday 
  

Unlocking AI’s Potential – When it Works Best 

I played around a little bit and this is what I came up with.  

AI is best used to perform tasks that help us:  

1) simplify our lives;  

2) improve our customer’s’ lives and their experiences with us; and  

3) serve as a muse or research assistant.  

As you can see, AI is best used as an automaton, muse or thought starter, a first go-rounder. It works best to make our lives easier, whether by automating the mundane or as something to get creative juices flowing, help you research a topic or summarize a big data set, or come up with different visual options. 

The Human Touch – Making AI Truly Meaningful  

The most important thing, though — and it’s not in this chart — is that AI is never enough on its own. It needs humans to shape it, guide it, and refine it to truly deliver what we need.  

Much like how no photo could fully capture the windswept beauty of the tallgrass prairie, AI on its own can’t quite replicate the depth of human creativity or emotion. 

But with the right inputs, just as we can narrate our memories to bring a photo to life, we can guide AI to produce something meaningful. I might use it to create a fun memory video for me and my two colleagues, and while it won’t replicate the prairie itself, with my guidance, it might come close to doing that wonderful experience justice. 

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