Last week at the Elevate Central business breakfast, we hosted the most engaging session - a practical, future-facing kōrero about the balance between Human Intelligence (HI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

With digital tools evolving fast, we invited Sydney-based strategist Kelly Slessor to help demystify how small businesses can use AI with their people, not on them. And wow, what a session.

You may remember the story we ran in January after her last visit Click here

Here’s what we learned (and why it matters for business).

It Starts With Mutuality: Build With, Not For

Kelly reminded us: the biggest mistake organisations make is skipping the people. When AI systems are designed in a vacuum, without input from frontline staff or customers, they often fall flat.

Simple shift: Co-create your AI tools with the team who will use them. Trust builds adoption.

Try this: Choose one task (like writing product descriptions). Invite two staff to design prompts. Log learnings over 2 weeks. Share what works.

Culture First: Mindset Before Machines

Tech anxiety is real. That’s why culture, not tools, makes or breaks AI adoption.

Kelly recommends starting with confidence-building rituals, not technical manuals.

Small habits = big shifts.

Try this: Begin team meetings with a 3-minute share: “What AI helped me do this week.” It’s low-stakes and builds momentum.

Go Slow to Go Smart

Don’t automate everything all at once.

Start with one customer journey, like sending follow-up emails after an abandoned cart, and keep human oversight in place until you’re confident.

Try this: Draft AI-generated emails, and require manual approval for the first 50 sends. Review performance and tone.

What This Means for Central Otago Businesses

Here’s what stood out most for our region:

• Small is smart: Start tidy. You don’t need a transformation, just a trial.
• People first: Confidence trumps capability when getting started.
• Context is king: Businesses need tools that respect our pace, connectivity, and seasonality.
• Measure learning: Track what your team learns, not just how fast they type.

Thanks for Being There

To everyone who showed up, asked bold questions, and shared your fears and ideas, thank you. And a huge shoutout to Kelly Slessor for sparking such rich conversations.

Want to explore this further with your team? Reach out here and we’ll send you Kelly’s four-pillar PDF model.

Be informed. Be confident. Be local.

Sponsored Content: This article has been submitted by a contributing expert as part of The Central App’s sponsored advisor programme. All sponsored stories are reviewed to align with our values of community first, accuracy, and trusted people in our community reporting.