In the heart of Utah, two companies are quietly revolutionizing the way AI is utilized in the business world, offering a glimpse into a future where technology enhances, rather than replaces, human expertise. Shawn Miele, the founder of MyAdvice, and Scott Van Hartesvelt, the driving force behind GCommerce, are at the forefront of this transformation. Their stories are not just about the implementation of AI; they are about trust, innovation, and the future of work.
AI in Healthcare: A Personalized Approach
Miele's journey with AI began with a bold bet. He recognized the potential of AI to either be the biggest opportunity of their lifetime or an existential threat. His company, MyAdvice, developed Maya, an AI system that goes beyond the generic chatbots we commonly encounter. Maya is a custom small language model, tailored to each client's specific needs. For a dental office in Provo, Maya provides accurate responses to patient inquiries, ensuring a level of trust and reliability that generic AI models struggle to achieve. This is because Maya is trained on verified information specific to the business, reducing the likelihood of 'hallucinations' where AI confidently provides inaccurate answers.
The impact is profound. Conversion rates triple when practices switch to Maya, and response times for patient reviews drop from over 20 days to under 24 hours. This not only improves the patient experience but also frees up time for dentists, allowing them to focus on higher-value activities.
The Hotel Industry's AI Dilemma
Van Hartesvelt's GCommerce has been navigating the digital landscape for hotels for 24 years. He observes that AI is the biggest shift in this industry, and it's happening fast. The problem is that travelers increasingly use AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini to plan and book trips, which often route transactions through third-party sites like Expedia or Booking.com. This erodes the direct relationship between hotels and their customers, and the hotels are charged significant commissions.
Van Hartesvelt draws a parallel to the post-9/11 era when Expedia and Booking.com moved in, aggregating hotel inventory and inserting themselves permanently between hotels and their guests. The industry has been paying for this ever since. Now, with AI, the same thing is happening again. Travelers are using AI to plan and book, and the hotels are losing out.
Utah's Role in the AI Revolution
Utah's legislators are actively engaged in shaping the AI landscape, focusing on bills, regulatory frameworks, and debates about transparency and accountability. However, Miele and Van Hartesvelt argue that the policy conversation is catching up to a reality that's already in motion. The AI that Utah lawmakers are trying to govern is already in use, responding to patient reviews, answering website questions, and influencing travel decisions.
The key to success in this AI revolution, according to both entrepreneurs, is to deploy AI in ways that enhance human capabilities rather than replace them. This means building trust, ensuring transparency, and using AI to free up time for more valuable tasks. Utah, with its embrace of technology, is well-positioned to lead in this AI race, and these two companies are at the forefront of that innovation.
In my opinion, the future of work is not about humans versus machines, but about humans and machines working together. Utah's companies are setting an example for how to do this effectively, and their impact will be felt far beyond the state's borders.
