AI for Breakfast

Chris Witham • May 20, 2024

Post 124 - Understanding AI ethics:
What small business owners need to know


As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into everyday business operations, ethical considerations are becoming increasingly important. For small business owners, understanding AI ethics is essential not only for compliance but also for building trust with customers and maintaining a positive reputation. Here are the key ethical aspects of AI that small business owners need to be aware of:


1. Transparency and explainability

AI systems can be complex, making it challenging to understand how decisions are made. However, transparency is crucial for building trust. Small business owners should ensure that their AI tools can explain their decision-making processes in clear, understandable terms.


  • Choose AI tools that provide clear explanations of how they work
  • Communicate openly with customers about how AI is used in your business
  • Ensure that decisions made by AI can be justified and traced


2. Data privacy and security

AI systems often rely on large amounts of data, some of which may be sensitive or personal. Ensuring data privacy and security is paramount to maintaining customer trust and complying with regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).


  • Implement robust data protection measures
  • Regularly review and update data security protocols
  • Be transparent with customers about how their data is used and protected


3. Fairness and bias

AI systems can inadvertently perpetuate or even exacerbate biases present in the data they are trained on. It's important to monitor AI tools for bias and take steps to ensure they operate fairly.


  • Regularly audit AI systems for bias
  • Use diverse data sets to train AI models
  • Implement measures to mitigate any identified biases


4. Accountability and responsibility

When AI systems make decisions, it's crucial to establish clear accountability. Small business owners need to take responsibility for the actions and decisions made by their AI tools.


  • Define clear lines of accountability for AI decisions
  • Ensure there is human oversight for critical AI-driven decisions
  • Be prepared to address and rectify any issues arising from AI use


5. Ethical use of AI

Beyond compliance and risk management, small businesses should consider the broader ethical implications of AI. This includes considering the societal impact and striving to use AI in ways that benefit both the business and the community.


  • Evaluate the broader impact of AI applications
  • Engage with stakeholders to understand their concerns and expectations
  • Strive to use AI in ways that promote positive social outcomes


By understanding and addressing these ethical considerations, small business owners can harness the power of AI responsibly. This not only helps in maintaining compliance with regulations but also builds trust with customers, fosters a positive business reputation, and contributes to the overall betterment of society.

By Chris Witham February 20, 2026
Not every week ends with a certificate. This one did.
Lines of colorful computer code on a dark background.
By Chris Witham December 11, 2025
Where AI really helps your Business If you spend any time on LinkedIn or X, you’ll have seen bold claims about how AI can help you build software in a matter of days. There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of big promises, and a fair bit of confusion for business owners trying to work out what’s real. A new term doing the rounds is “Vibe Coding” —the idea of describing what you want to an AI assistant and having it generate the code for you. It’s becoming popular because it can move things forward quickly and help people explore ideas they wouldn’t have been able to create alone. And the truth is, it does have its place. The challenge isn’t the technique. It’s the expectation that AI will automatically deliver finished, reliable, production-ready tools without any real design or thinking behind them. AI accelerates the work you already do well Used properly, AI can: • Remove huge amounts of repetitive work • Speed up drafting and iteration • Generate working prototypes in hours • Help non-technical people explore ideas • Improve documentation, planning and communication This is where it shines. But it still needs clarity, structure, and well-designed processes around it. It’s like having a very fast assistant rather than a fully formed development team. Why many AI projects don’t deliver what people expect Independent research this year showed a clear pattern: • Many early AI initiatives failed to produce measurable business value • Companies abandoned AI ideas because they couldn’t scale or integrate them • The gap between an impressive demo and a reliable tool is larger than people thought This doesn’t mean AI is overhyped. It means teams jumped straight to execution without the groundwork. The technology isn’t the issue. It’s the approach. Small businesses don’t need Enterprise Platforms Most UK small businesses don’t need to build a full software product. What they actually need is: • Better workflows • Faster content generation • Clearer communication • Improved customer support • Tools that reflect the way they work • Consistency and repeatability AI is perfect for this. A custom GPT trained on your tone, your documents and your processes can become: • A writing assistant • A customer support helper • A knowledge base navigator • An internal guide for staff • A quality-control layer • A process automator No engineering team needed. No complex infrastructure. No stress. Where AI builds real value right now AI works best when it’s part of a thoughtful, guided approach: • Define the outcome you want • Build a lightweight prototype (AI helps here) • Add structure, rules and guardrails • Connect it to your real workflow • Test it with real users or staff • Iterate until it feels natural You can still move fast. You just avoid building something brittle that breaks the moment it’s needed. The key insight: AI doesn’t replace expertise, it amplifies it AI is at its strongest when someone knowledgeable decides: • What it should do • What it shouldn’t do • How it should behave • What tone it should use • How it fits into the business • What checks and constraints matter That’s where tools like custom GPTs genuinely shine. They’re not software products in the traditional sense. They’re flexible assistants shaped around your business. With the right design, they can save huge amounts of time and deliver consistent, practical value without any of the complexity of building a full system. A more useful way to think about AI in 2026 Instead of “AI will build everything for you”, a healthier mindset is: AI speeds up the work, but you set the direction. For small businesses, that’s more than enough to make a real difference.
By Chris Witham August 21, 2025
Website Planet Interview
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WORD: Ineffable DEFINITION: Too great or extreme to be expressed in words. USAGE: 'The beauty of the sunrise was ineffable, leaving everyone speechless.' ORIGIN: From the Latin 'ineffabilis,' meaning 'unutterable,' often used to describe profound experiences.
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