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 Intro 00:31 Simple Definitions 01:14 Kitchen Metaphor 02:39 Why The Confusion 04:23 Does The Difference Matter 08:08 Automation In Business 10:36 Where AI Fits In 11:47 Using AI Without Automation 14:27 Overrelying On Automation 19:23 AI Without Groundwork 29:03 Human Context Still Matters 32:31 Find The Real Problem 35:28 Wrap Up And Next Episode