3 Ways AI is Quietly Hurting Your Business

Is AI actually helping you, or is it just making you "feel" like you're doing the work? In the first recording of 2026, Dan Proczko and Brigitte Vegter identify the subtle, "quiet" ways AI is lurking in your business and causing long-term damage . They walk through three high-risk areas—client relationships, data analysis, and policy creation—where blindly following an AI's "confident" output can lead to accusatory tones, culture-killing decisions, and unenforceable rules . This episode isn't about stopping your use of AI; it's about reclaiming your role as the intentional leader who verifies, validates, and adds the human context that machines simply can't comprehend .

Listeners will discover:

Why AI should never be your "spokesperson" in emails involving trust or accountability
The danger of certainty without verification: How pasting financial reports into AI can lead to "finite" answers based on assumptions, not reality
A "safe process" for creating company policies that actually fit your unique culture and team dynamics
The WTB Moment of the Week: A celebration of the "unplugged" small-town business, featuring a curated liquor store in rural America and a legendary 100-year-old pie shop
Show Notes

This episode serves as a 2026 wake-up call for business owners to stop "outsourcing" their judgment to AI and start using it more intentionally as a tool for structure and clarity.

I. The 3 Areas Where AI is Quietly Hurting You

Relationships (AI as Spokesperson): AI uses polished, definitive language that lacks relational context. This can make your emails sound "emotionally detached" or "accusatory," damaging trust with clients or partners who expect your voice
Data (AI as Decision-Maker): AI will always pretend it has enough data to give you a confident answer, even if the numbers are provisional or context is missing . This leads to "panic decisions" or incorrectly blaming teams based on faulty analysis
Policy (AI as Author): AI produces "best practices" based on global averages, not your specific company values or risk tolerance . You may end up with policies you can’t enforce or rules that contradict how your business actually works
II. The WTB Moment of the Week

Win (Rural Liquor Store): Dan found a specialized shop in rural America where the owners provided tastings, shared history, and used their expertise to build connection. Insight: Passionate owners who know their craft can turn a simple transaction into a "huge win" through human engagement .
Win (Pie Town USA): Brigitte visited a legendary mom-and-pop pie shop that has survived through pure welcoming energy and secret recipes. Insight: Small-town human interaction remains superior to any digital experience, proving that your unique "human" factor is your long-term survival plan .