There’s a lesson here for all businesses
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming the go-to tool for just about everything, including travel planning. For many, AI is a way to skip the guesswork and dive straight into what a city has to offer. And on our two-day trip to Dublin, we did exactly that.
After checking into our hotel, we decided to let AI guide us. We didn’t have much time, only 2 days, and we wanted a great experience. A quick query, and voilà—a list of Dublin’s top ten attractions instantly appeared on our screen, including suggested timing and routes. From the Guinness Storehouse to Trinity College, it seemed like the perfect lineup of things to do, balancing history, culture, and a little bit of fun. We had our map, we had our plan, and we felt ready for the adventure ahead.
Now, in Dublin everyone gets around with the ubiquitous cabbie service. So we jumped into a cab, list in hand, and off we went. In fact, the picture below is my wife with our cabbie, Mikey. Then something happened that we weren’t expecting.
But first, let’s go over a bit of the back story on why we trusted AI. I think everyone in business is guilty of this. We’ve all been blown away by the promise that AI brings to the table, and it’s easy to see why so many of us, across industries, are putting our trust in it.
It’s already proven useful in a wide range of tasks: conducting market research, brainstorming new product ideas, outlining blog posts, and even crafting a rough first draft of entire articles. For business professionals, it’s a no-brainer. AI offers speed, convenience, and access to a vast trove of information at the push of a button. It’s like having a genie at your beck and call.
And I’ve had many hours of courses, and practical experience, using the top AI models in my business. I feel I’m better than most at prompting. Some people even call me (gasp!) an expert. Planning our two-day Dublin trip was no different. With limited time and so much to see, AI felt like the perfect solution.
We didn’t want to miss any of the must-see spots, and we certainly didn’t want to spend hours scouring forums and guides for travel tips. With just a few clicks, we had a plan—major landmarks, popular tourist spots, and a route optimized for time. What more could we ask for? I was giddy with the efficiency, and apparent thoroughness, of the process.
But here’s where the reality of AI starts to fall short, and it’s a lesson many businesses are beginning to face. For all the convenience AI provides, it has its limitations. In our case, we were about to discover just how much we were missing by trusting AI alone.
“AI offers speed and efficiency, but lacks the human insight that makes experiences memorable.”
So there we were, in the back of the Dublin cab, chatting excitedly about the upcoming adventure and itinerary. I won’t get into the minute details, but it involved everything from Trinity College and the Book of Kells, to the Guinness Storehouse, to Temple Bar and some local Irish pubs and restaurants.
Now, you may or may not know this, but the Irish are extremely friendly, and very chatty. Awesome people. And cabbies there take it to a new level.
Mikey is listening politely to our plans, and in a lull, glances back at us and says (cue Irish accent):
“that all sounds lovely, but may I make a few suggestions that you might find interesting?”
Of course, we said yes.
And he proceeded to tell us where to get authentic food, at half the price, rather than the tourist traps that were on our list. And how to get into a better whisky distillery tour that was little known but blew us away in quality. And how to handle the must-see tourist traps efficiently… stuff that only locals knew.
In other words, he gave us local wisdom and advice that only someone with boots on the ground can give. Information that just isn’t easily available to the AI tools.
Of course, we rolled his advice into our itinerary, and everything he recommended was spot on. We had an amazing time… because of Mikey. Now, I think you see where I’m going with this.
“Without good judgment and local knowledge, AI can lead you straight to substandard results.”
Our experience with Mikey in Dublin was a powerful reminder that AI, while incredibly efficient, lacks the nuance and personal insights that only come from real human experience. And this lesson extends far beyond travel—right into the heart of business content creation and decision-making.
AI tools have become indispensable for tasks like conducting market research, brainstorming ideas, drafting content, and even optimizing SEO. They allow us to work faster, gather information more easily, and generate an endless stream of content with just a few keystrokes. In many ways, AI has revolutionized productivity.
“It’s about balance—AI’s speed plus your expertise is where the magic truly happens.”
But here’s the catch: relying solely on AI, without injecting good judgment and human insight, can lead to substandard results. Just like our AI-generated itinerary looked perfect on paper but missed the heart and soul of Dublin, AI-driven business strategies or content can lack the personal touch that truly resonates with your audience.
This is why, in business, it’s crucial to blend the efficiency of AI with human judgment. Use AI to get you started, to streamline tasks, and to save time. But don’t forget to inject your own expertise. Tailor the output to your audience, and consider the practical insights that only you can provide.
It’s about balance. The combination of AI’s speed and your expertise is where the magic happens. Otherwise, you might find yourself serving up generic, hollow results that don’t fully meet the needs of your clients or customers.
“Just ask Mikey—the cab driver who reminded us that no matter how advanced AI becomes, nothing beats boots-on-the-ground wisdom.”
Jeff at b2bworkingwords is a sales enablement copywriter and strategic marketing specialist. He has helped b2b professional sales pros get more sales by helping them create truly effective sales tools. Tools that help them fill their pipelines with prospects. If you need help with filling your pipeline and getting more sales, reach out at [email protected]