A First Step into Generative AI for Regional Companies — Three Tasks to Try Free Today

Generative AI refers to a category of artificial intelligence that creates new content—text, images, audio, and more—based on patterns learned from training data. Unlike earlier AI systems that mainly performed classification or prediction, generative AI can carry out creative tasks such as drafting text, summarizing documents, and brainstorming ideas in response to a prompt. Since the 2020s, conversational services such as ChatGPT have made these tools accessible from a browser or smartphone without requiring specialized technical knowledge.

Labor shortages are a common management challenge for many regional companies, as discussed in the guide to labor shortage countermeasures for SMEs. For small and medium-sized businesses operating with limited staff, generative AI offers a low-cost, immediately usable way to streamline time-consuming routine tasks such as drafting text, handling email, and organizing information. The growing availability of free or low-cost plans has also made it easier for regional companies to try these tools without a large upfront investment.

Introducing generative AI without first deciding what it will actually be used for tends to produce disappointing results. It is not uncommon for a company to try the tool once, purely for training purposes, and then let usage quietly stop because it never became part of daily work. Common stumbling blocks fall into three categories:

- Unclear purpose: Using the tool without a specific goal in mind rarely leads to measurable improvement
- No internal rules: Without guidelines on who uses the tool, for what, and how, usage tends to become dependent on a few individuals
- Gaps in digital literacy: Skill levels vary among employees, so benefits often stay concentrated among a small group of users

*Features and pricing for each service are subject to change, so it is advisable to check official information before use.*

There is no need to draw up a company-wide rollout plan from the start. The most realistic way to begin is to create a single free account on a personal computer or smartphone and try it out on a small task that comes up in day-to-day work. The three tasks below are ones a single staff member can start on today, using their own discretion, without needing a dedicated department.

1. Drafting and summarizing text — Documents with a relatively fixed format, such as meeting minutes, daily reports, or internal announcements, are an area where generative AI tends to perform well. Simply feeding in a long document and asking for a three-line summary can significantly cut down the time needed to grasp its content.

2. Drafting emails and messages — Tasks like writing to business partners or responding to inquiries, which often require composing text from scratch, can be sped up by giving the AI a bullet-point outline and letting it produce a draft. Before sending, a person should always check the draft for factual accuracy and appropriate tone.

3. Brainstorming and idea development — For tasks that require generating ideas from scratch, such as planning a new product, writing a flyer headline, or designing a local event, having the AI produce several options that a person then refines is an approach that even small teams can benefit from quickly.

- Step 1 — Narrow the purpose to one task: Rather than rolling it out across every function at once, start with a single task such as email drafting
- Step 2 — Trial a free plan: Test usability and effectiveness without any upfront cost
- Step 3 — Set minimal usage rules: Decide what kind of information may be entered and who reviews the output
- Step 4 — Review the results: Confirm how much time was actually saved before considering which task to expand to next

For a broader approach to rules and staff development, see Getting Started with DX for SMEs and Developing Digital Talent.

Using generative AI for business purposes requires an understanding of the following risks.

- Avoid entering confidential information: Depending on a service's terms of use, input data may be used for training, so check the terms before entering customer personal data, undisclosed partner information, or internal figures
- Don't take outputs at face value: Generative AI can produce confidently worded but factually incorrect content (sometimes called "hallucination"), so factual verification by a person is essential
- Be mindful of copyright and trademarks: There is always some possibility that generated text or images resemble existing copyrighted works, so content should be checked before being published externally

None of this means generative AI should be avoided—nor does it mean it can be used without limits. Simply agreeing up front on what kinds of information are acceptable to enter is often enough to prevent most problems before they occur.

Generative AI is increasingly becoming an accessible tool that can be tried for free without specialized knowledge. For regional SMEs, a reasonable first step is to start with everyday tasks such as drafting text, writing email drafts, and brainstorming ideas, put minimal internal rules in place, and evaluate the results before expanding further. There is no need to make a major investment decision up front—the ability to try it on a small scale and simply stop if it doesn't fit is itself one of the defining characteristics of this technology.