Let’s cast our minds back over recent industry history and consider what have been the major technological developments that have generated the most buzz in our sector.
A short while ago it was the emergence of battery power that we seemed to spend plenty of our column inches speculating on, considering its level of potential impact. Then it was robotics, initially of the wired variety, that we debated regarding the crossover potential they held for mainstream customers.
Today, arguably, there is an emerging technology that has eclipsed both of those. Dominating our discourse perhaps more than any other before, it's one that could prove to have further reaching influence than anything since the internet.
For many people, I suspect AI still conjures up images of robots taking over jobs or computers making decisions that are better left to humans. Yet in reality, most of us are already using AI every day, often without even realising it.
Take one of today's news stories. STIGA's Vista autonomous mower has recently received recognition in the Ideal Homes awards, with one of its standout features being an AI-powered camera system that helps the machine navigate and operate safely. It is another example of how the technology being sold through dealerships is becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Of course, AI isn't just appearing in the products dealers sell. It's also finding its way into the day-to-day running of the dealerships themselves.
Over the past year, our conversations with dealers have revealed a growing curiosity about what AI can actually do for their businesses. Some are experimenting with AI tools to draft marketing emails, write social media posts, summarise lengthy documents or generate first drafts of customer communications. Others are using it to help organise information, create training materials or simply save time on administrative tasks that would otherwise eat into the working day.
The appeal is obvious. Most dealerships are operating in a business environment where finding additional hours in the day is hard. Anything that can help reduce workload and improve efficiency naturally attracts attention.
The forthcoming issue of Service Dealer magazine contains an excellent article from Keith Christian examining AI from the perspective of a self-confessed layman. Without giving too much away, Keith explores both the opportunities and the limitations of this rapidly developing technology in a way that I am sure our valued dealer readers will be able to relate to.
No spoilers, but Keith’s central point is that AI can undoubtedly be a useful assistant. It can help with routine tasks, provide ideas and improve productivity. But it should remain exactly that - an assistant.
As we all know, the strength of independent dealerships has never simply been the products on display in the showroom. It is the expertise behind those machines, the trusted advice offered to customers, the long-standing relationships built over years and the specialist knowledge that cannot be replicated by a computer program.
Customers don't just buy equipment from dealers. They buy confidence, reassurance and experience. Those qualities remain firmly human.
Perhaps that is where the industry currently finds itself? AI is no longer something that belongs in the future. It is already embedded in many of the products dealers sell and is increasingly available as a practical business tool. The challenge is not whether to engage with it, but how to use it sensibly while preserving the personal service that defines the best dealerships.
I think that as we stand today, AI experts would agree that to gain the most benefit out of what’s on offer, it is the sophistication of the human hand guiding the bot that makes all the difference to the results achieved. That's what will give your dealership a competitive advantage.
So don’t forget that if you are exploring what your business can gain from it, Service Dealer's free AI Toolkit for dealers remains available on our website, offering practical guidance on how the technology can be used in a dealership environment.
Because while AI may be changing the way we work, the importance of real human people remains exactly the same.
