Recently, Hayden Lessiter wrote an article stating that the improper use of AI could do more damage to one's success or image than if one left the AI effort alone. His illustration was of an AI'd Hamburger pictured on a menu that could never be duplicated in real life on the grill.
This caused the old brain to have several flashbacks. First, every time I hear AI with my Ag background I think AI — Artificial Insemination. For those of you who have never been educated to this bovine means of reproduction, I suggest you be careful around a dairy farm as to picking a straw to drink from. When they tried to teach this back in the early 70's at Good ol’ Murray State, I promise you there were no artificial intelligence in the class I was in. In fact, I felt sorry for the professor, as there was no intelligence at all when any mention of reproduction was mentioned. I still chuckle remembering some of the comments made.
I possibly might have been the first young teenager to use AI to get a date. I would cut out a car photo from Hot Rod magazine and present it as mine in hopes of getting a hot date. In fact, the first date on which I drove the family car, I was instructed by Dad to bring the girl by to meet and greet. I did, and afterwards he was waiting up and met me with the statement that our family didn't have movie star genes, but he thought I could do better because she was definitely not the pick of the litter, looks-wise. I replied, stating “Dad, she was the best I could do with the car you got!”
Later, on another date, we were parked looking at the shoreline of Paris Landing and the waves of the Tennessee River lapping up on the tiny 'beach'. My date looked at the moonlit sky and said if she could see the stars in the sky, she would be inclined to be kissed. Well, the next day at school I was bragging about taking down the roof and putting it in the trunk in less than 10 minutes and enjoying a great smooch. My friends laughed and stated they just pushed a button and in less than a minute their convertible tops were down. I informed them that it was nice, but I had a 4-door hardtop!
We were not smart, as Forrest Gump stated many times. I said I had thought many times that we sure could have used some Art Intel back then. Still, some intelligence was there, because I was fortunate to finally marry a gal that has suffered through 49 years of all these bad jokes while still managing to stay married to me. Our anniversary was last week and this old mind remembered!
Other than that, I can only imagine what life would have been like growing up in my day if we had any form of AI on the farm or early days of the dealership when everything went on paper with carbon copies, in mass files.
Speaking of imagining, the next installment we are working on is what would happen if AI possibly went rogue in the equipment business. I sometimes question some real intelligence that exists here today, but what if? We will explore this with a work in progress. Wishing you miles of smiles and profits — real — not artificial.
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Told from the perspective of an in-the-trenches owner/operator — Tim Brannon of B&G Equipment, Paris, Tenn. — Equipment Dealer Tips, Tales & Takeaways shares knowledge, experiences and tips/lessons with fellow rural equipment dealerships throughout North America. Covering all aspects required of an equipment dealership general manager, Brannon will inform, entertain and provide a teachable moment for current — and future — leaders within equipment dealerships. |
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