Show your true colors or blind trust?

It happens to me more and more often. As I stir my coffee and read my newspaper, I think: if ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence is the future, what do I actually add?

Take our house recently. We sell potatoes door to door and also deliver them to local shops. My daughter was tasked with preparing the bags. Enthusiastically – and a little proud of her single-handed approach – she asked ChatGPT which name tags corresponded to the potato varieties. Irene’s are red-skinned, Ottena’s yellow. Simple, you might say. But ChatGPT, with all its cleverness, turned things around.

Digital assistant
Completely trusting the digital assistant, my daughter neatly provided the bags with the wrong label and duly delivered them to the store. It was only a week later, during dinner, that the mistake came to light. "We're having Ottena's tonight," my daughter said confidently, as she served the steaming potatoes. "Aren't they yellow?", I asked, as I looked at the red peels in the green waste.

The silence that followed said it all. We informed the store and delivered new stock. Customer happy, we have another experience richer. And ChatGPT? They undoubtedly learned nothing from it.

blind faith
The incident made me think of something else: how blindly we sometimes trust technology. While it is precisely our experience, our memory – and yes, our mistakes – that make us human and make the difference, where companies increasingly rely on algorithms and artificial intelligence. An opportunity, but also a development that continues to require a critical eye.

I also see this regularly in my work as an assistant relationship manager. We support entrepreneurs with financing applications, where the total picture is not only formed by figures, but also by the context. During the elaboration of advice, I ensure that the details are correct and that the entrepreneur can continue with a clear story. In doing so, I work together with experienced business advisors. Through a wealth of practical knowledge and experience, sharp analyses and always continuing to think creatively, we bring the right colour to a company and its future plans. 

Overall picture
So whether it is potatoes or agricultural advice: the power lies in the overall picture. Between digital and practical knowledge. Between knowledge and expertise. Between red and yellow; as long as it is the colour that suits you.

Class Miedema

Klaske Miedema, assistant relationship manager at Farmers Funding & Advies. In addition, she and her husband Syds have an arable farm in Holwert, Friesland.

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