AI vs Automation

On the Tech for Business podcast, the host talks with Kelsey, an AI operations coordinator, about the difference between automation and AI and why people confuse them. Kelsey explains that automation follows rules you provide while AI figures out the rules, using analogies like a dishwasher (automation) versus a cook (AI), and notes marketing has contributed by labeling many products as “AI.” They discuss when the distinction matters, focusing on outcomes, resource usage, and measuring impact through output quality and time saved rather than “using AI” as a goal. The episode covers where automation fits best (repetitive, predictable tasks) versus AI (judgment, messy inputs, agentic planning), and warns that adopting AI without documented processes and clean data can accelerate broken workflows, waste money, and create risk, emphasizing problem-finding over tool-chasing.00:00 AI vs Automation Intro00:31 Simple Definitions01:14 Kitchen Metaphor02:39 Why The Confusion04:23 Does The Difference Matter08:08 Automation In Business10:36 Where AI Fits In11:47 Using AI Without Automation14:27 Overrelying On Automation19:23 AI Without Groundwork29:03 Human Context Still Matters32:31 Find The Real Problem35:28 Wrap Up And Next Episode