The impact of generative AI on business

Daniel Goymer • June 7, 2023

When I was young, I watched an interview with Gordon Moore, the then CEO and founder of Intel. Back in 1971 Intel was making microchips for calculators, expanding their empire by designing a chip that could also be used to power elevators, traffic lights and general systems for the industrial market. This was well before Apple, Microsoft or even the Altair 8800… Intel had everything it needed to be the titan of the PC world, they had the microchips, the memory chips, the experience, and the expertise, they could have dwarfed Apple, IBM and Microsoft. So, what went wrong?

 

An engineer approached Moore and suggested they build a computer for the home, a personal computer. He rebuked him with a question, - tell me what you could do with a computer in the home? - The engineer considered this and the only application he could think of was that it would be useful for housewives to store their recipes on. There died the personal computer at Intel.

 

I repeat this story often whenever someone asks me what the point of this latest gadget is, or that latest technology. It is lack of our imagination that prevents our success; not experience, skill, opportunity or will. So rather than talk about Chat GPT, Bard, and Large Language Models, here are some examples of its use in practice. I challenge you to imagine how this will impact your business.

Let’s start with an easy one,

how can I survive a Zombie Apocalypse?

Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse sounds expensive, we’d best put up our prices,

write me a letter explaining our price increases.

Training is important, I need the team to be prepared,

create me a game to train for a Zombie Apocalypse

I need a cool graphic for this game,

man on a hill with a cricket bat?

Even with all that planning that still managed to get us,

best put out a press release explaining the recent outage.

Other questions you should ask it right now, 'can you summarise these article for me', or 'write key actions from this meeting transcript'. 


It’s far from perfect, but it’s evolving fast, can you imagine where it will be in twelve months? What about in the next five years? If you only use it as a cure for writer’s block, or to help get started on that difficult letter, it will save you time, but it’s true power is still to come.

 

Remember, don’t put anything into these tools that you consider confidential, ensure you have a policy on how it should be used at your business, need help getting started? ask Chat GPT…

Recent Posts

MCI & Associates and Yorb: A journey from support to strategy

April 10, 2025
MCI & Associates is an accountancy firm with over 45 employees across offices in Dannevirke and Pahiatua. The practice services a diverse range of clients, including those in the farming and commercial sectors, and its core services include tax preparation, business advisory and planning, and general accounting. The relationship between Yorb and MCI goes back over three decades to when both companies were in their formative stages. The trust-based relationship has endured and evolved as each business has grown and matured - going through name and ownership changes.

Cyber security in small-town NZ: why it’s time to pay attention

March 26, 2025
If you think cybercriminals only go after big corporations in major cities, think again.  The majority of incidents recorded by the NCSC impact individuals and small to medium businesses, proving that cyber threats don’t discriminate based on location - they target opportunity. With over 23,000 reports to the Netsafe helpline, and $17.8M in losses reported last year, small-town businesses are very much in the spotlight. In the past few months alone, three local accounting firms in regional New Zealand have suffered a data breach,and local ISP - Inspire was recently the target of a malicious cyber attack.

What's happening at Yorb - Q1 2025

March 21, 2025
We've had a flying start to the year, and given we're really just past the point where you start to realise what day it actually is, we thought we'd share everything we've been working on lately. 2024 In Review As we reflect on 2024, it's clear that this year has been one of remarkable achievements and significant advancements for Yorb. We were very proud that we won the Reseller News Innovation Awards in the Regional Partner Category, a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation. AI has continued to dominate the headlines, with some businesses making great strides in how they work and interact. However, the majority are still grappling with understanding the full impact of this technology on their business, industry, and society. As we navigate this evolving landscape, companies must adapt to the security implications, ensure the integrity of data, and adjust to changing work and consumer patterns. In line with our commitment to security, we launched our new Security Platform, Yorb Defender 2.0. Designed from the ground up to be Essential 8 compliant, we believe this solution is now a best-in-class product that meets the requirements of modern business. 2025 Looking Forward Looking ahead to 2025, we have set ambitious goals following the EOS business framework. Our recent Annual Planning has helped us develop our 10-year, 3-year, and 1-year goals, with a strong focus on several key areas: Client Experience: We are dedicated to ensuring that every interaction with Yorb meets and exceeds your expectations. Automation Platforms: We will continue to develop our automation platforms to provide more consistent and efficient service. Investing in New Technologies: Our focus will be on AI, Hyper-Automation, and Data Governance to stay ahead of the curve. Team Development: We are committed to investing in our team, ensuring they receive the best skills training in technical, people, professional, and business areas. We will are also excited to be launching business peer groups focussed around AI, bringing together business owners and leaders from across the regions to explore what the future holds for all of us. This year we are injecting new energy into our Total Support agreement, we believe there is more to our partnership than phones calls, Teams Conferences and remote support. We are therefore introducing ongoing scheduled visits as part of the contract, alongside a productivity focus with scheduled access to our development team. Kicking off this year will be monthly seminars on topics such as Security, AI, Productivity, we want to hear what topics matter most to you. Look out for your invite in the coming weeks. I’m incredibly excited by 2025 and the opportunities it brings, we call breath a collective sigh that 2024 is behind us lets get cracking on what promises to be a great year. Daniel Goymer CEO