While the public fears AI, these Ohio and Iowa business owners are finding relief
COLUMBUS, Ohio — On a recent afternoon, with homecoming weekend bearing down and a football game that night, April Polk was driving to a doctor’s appointment when her assistant flagged something in her business inbox: a grant application, the kind of funding opportunity a small retailer cannot afford to miss.
TL;DR
- April Polk, owner of JaeLuxe Shoetique, uses Meta's AI agent, Muse (named Chase), to manage tasks like grant applications, email marketing, and social media content creation.
- Tom Mulholland, a grocer from Malvern, Iowa, employs Muse (named Wally) to simplify tasks such as creating weekly advertisements and employee schedules, freeing up his time for core business activities.
- Despite general public concern about AI, both Polk and Mulholland find Muse to be a practical tool that saves them hours and improves efficiency in their businesses.
- Muse functions as an agent, capable of carrying out tasks across various connected applications with the owner's approval, with Meta offering free basic use and paid subscription tiers.
- Both business owners were involved in testing Muse before its public release and emphasize that they still review and approve all AI-generated actions.
- Polk sees Muse as a C-level partner, essential for competing with larger businesses, while Mulholland, initially hesitant, now relies on it heavily for operational tasks.
- The article highlights that the practical, time-saving aspects of AI are more impactful for small business owners than abstract fears about the technology.