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Learn: AI for Metro Vancouver businesses, in plain English
Plain-English answers to the questions Metro Vancouver business owners ask most about AI: how tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini work, where they go wrong, and how to use them safely. Start with any question below, or book a free 30-minute workflow review if you'd rather talk it through.
AI glossary
Plain-English definitions of the AI terms you'll hear most.
Getting started with AI tools
How do AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini actually work?
AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot write by guessing the next word, over and over, based on patterns from a huge amount of text.
Is it really AI? What vendors mean by "AI-powered"
"AI-powered" can mean two very different things.
Why AI tools charge by the "token," and what it means for your bill
A token is a small chunk of text, usually a short word or part of a longer one.
Why does AI give a different answer every time I ask?
AI assistants add a little randomness on purpose, so their writing sounds natural instead of robotic.
Can AI search our company files if we don't use the exact words?
Yes.
Why the way you word a request changes what AI gives back
AI assistants read every word of your request together to work out what each word means.
Why AI gets things wrong
Why does AI make things up?
AI assistants are built to write text that sounds right, not to look up facts.
Why can't AI explain how it reached an answer?
AI tools teach themselves billions of internal settings from data.
Whose voices shaped the AI you're using?
AI assistants learn from huge amounts of online text: websites, books, Wikipedia and forums like Reddit.
Do you need AI, or just simple automation?
Use simple rules when the logic is clear and stable, like "send invoices over $5,000 to the manager."
Will AI soon be able to do everything? What "AGI" means for your planning
AGI, or artificial general intelligence, means AI that could do almost any thinking task a person can, including learning new things on its own.
How does AI get better? Why your team's corrections matter
AI learns from feedback.
Bias, fairness and trust
Is AI biased? What business owners need to know
Yes.
Should you use AI to screen job applicants? Risks for BC employers
Be very careful.
Why people trust chatbots more than they should
People naturally assume a chatbot understands them and treat it a bit like a person.
Should you tell customers when they're talking to AI?
Yes.
Is AI neutral? Who decides what it says
No.
Can you use AI-generated images and text for your business?
Often yes, with care.
Risk and decision-making
Which AI uses are safe to start with? A simple risk guide
Sort AI uses by how much they affect people.
Who's responsible when AI gets it wrong? Three questions to answer first
You are.
How to judge AI vendor claims before you sign
Treat every AI claim as a prediction until you've tested it on your own work.
Why a person should check AI's work, and how to do it without losing the time savings
A person should review AI's work before it reaches a customer or affects a decision.
How to tell if AI is actually saving you time
Measure before you start, then track the same numbers during the pilot: hours spent on the task each week, how often work has to be redone, how often reviewers change the AI's output, and turnaround time.
What is responsible AI? A practical definition for small businesses
Responsible AI means using AI in ways that are fair, safe, honest with people and actually helpful.
Adoption, jobs and change
Will AI replace my employees? What the latest evidence says
Not one-for-one, but the honest answer isn't "no."
Which task should you hand to AI first?
Start with a task that's repetitive, takes real hours every week, is mostly reading or writing, and isn't a big deal if a draft is wrong.
Why AI rollouts stall, and how to restart one
AI rollouts usually stall for people reasons, not technology reasons.
Why start with one AI task instead of a company-wide rollout?
Starting with one task gets you a working result in weeks, builds trust with your team, and gives you real proof before you spend more.
Why your whole team, not just IT, should shape how you use AI
Involve the people who actually do the work.
AI glossary for business owners: 26 terms in plain English
This glossary explains the AI terms business owners hear most, in a sentence or two each.