July 15, 2025 - The Entrepreneur Times

The New Luxury? Going Offline : Try This 7-Day Detox Plan

Posted on July 15, 2025July 18, 2025 by Shivani Ghadage

A digital detox that doesn’t just reset your screen but rewires your soul. Do you ever feel mentally cluttered, tired even after a full night’s sleep, or strangely disconnected from real life, despite being connected to everything online?

From work emails to binge-worthy shows, endless Instagram reels to constant WhatsApp pings, our attention is on lease. We’re always “on,” yet rarely present. But the rising global trend of digital detox is changing the narrative. It’s not about vanishing into the woods or quitting tech; it’s about redefining how we interact with it.

This blog isn’t your typical “delete-all-your-apps” advice. It’s a realistic, empowering, and sustainable 7-day detox plan that anyone can do without guilt, anxiety, or overwhelm.

Detox Starts with Awareness (Audit Your Digital Life)

You can’t change what you’re unaware of. Today, start by simply noticing.

Use tools like Screen Time (iPhone) or Digital Wellbeing (Android) to understand where your hours vanish. Apps like RescueTime or Moment can also give a detailed breakdown.

Ask yourself:

● Which apps do I open reflexively?

● What time of day do I scroll the most?

● Which platforms drain me versus energize me?

This isn’t about shame; it’s your starting line. And every detox starts with self-honesty.

Set Boundaries with Apps & Notifications

You don’t need to go cold turkey. Begin with smart limits. Use app timers (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter) to restrict usage. Switch off non-essential notifications. Move addictive apps off your home screen or into folders. You’ll be surprised how little temptation remains when things aren’t front and center. Think of this as curating your digital diet. Just like healthy eating, a detox works best when you make better choices and mindless habits harder.

Reclaim Mornings: No Screen for the First Hour

How you begin your day sets the tone for everything that follows. For the next 24 hours, try this: no screen for the first 60 minutes after you wake up.

Instead:

● Journal your dreams or to-dos.

● Meditate or stretch.

● Sip your chai or coffee while watching the sunrise.

● Read a few pages from a real book.

This digital detox ritual reduces stress hormones, boosts mood, and nurtures clarity before the chaos of the day begins.

Rewire with Real Conversations

You don’t need more likes; you need genuine presence. Today, intentionally prioritize face-to-face or voice interactions over DMs or texts. Instead of commenting “Wow” on someone’s story, call them. Instead of reacting to a meme, share a memory. Real connection happens in the pauses, in the warmth of a laugh, or in a deep silence, none of which happen through typing. This day of detox reminds you what digital life often erodes: meaningful connection.

Replace the Scroll with Soulful Activities

You say you “don’t have time,” but maybe you just need to reclaim it. Challenge: For every 30 minutes you’d usually scroll, do something analog. Paint. Cook. Dance. Sketch. Journal. Bake. Garden. Walk. Let this be the day you rediscover joy without Wi-Fi. This phase of the detox isn’t subtraction; it’s soulful substitution.

Build a Digital-Free Evening Routine

Your brain needs time to unwind, not just shut down. Two hours before bedtime, shut down screens. Replace Netflix or doomscrolling with:

● A bath or warm shower.

● Guided meditation or relaxing music.

● A gratitude journal.

● Cozy reading under soft lights.

Research shows screens delay melatonin release, the hormone that regulates sleep. This evening detox not only improves rest but also helps you wake up refreshed and clear-headed.

Reflect, Realign & Reinforce

Take time to journal:

● What changed this week?

● What surprised you?

● What was hard? What felt liberating?

● Which new habits will you keep?

Remember, this detox wasn’t about removing tech; it was about reclaiming your attention.

You might decide to do a weekly no-screen Sunday, limit social apps to 30 minutes/day, or have tech-free dinners with loved ones. Whatever your rhythm, let it be intentional. You’re not going “offline.” This plan works because it doesn’t shame or scare you. Instead, it gently returns you to yourself, your creativity, clarity, calm, and curiosity.

Here’s what a digital detox gives back:

● Better focus and productivity

● Deep sleep

● Emotional balance

● Stronger relationships

● Time for things that truly matter

In a culture that profits off your distraction, protecting your peace is revolutionary.

Conclusion

In a world obsessed with constant connection, choosing disconnection is a form of healing. This isn’t just about digital boundaries; it’s about emotional breakthroughs. A detox isn’t about cutting it off; it’s about tuning in. It’s about noticing that your joy isn’t on a screen, your creativity isn’t in a reel, and your peace isn’t tied to a ping. So go ahead and log out to check back into Your Life.

AI in Public Relations: How Brands Can Keep Up in 2025

Posted on July 15, 2025October 3, 2025 by Shivani Ghadage

PR in 2025 isn’t what it used to be. Brands are using AI to pitch faster, write smarter, and monitor what people say about them in real time. But here’s the catch: none of that matters if your story doesn’t resonate with real humans. AI is the assistant, not the author and the brands that strike that balance is winning. That’s where Snerk PR steps in. They blend data with storytelling that actually makes people care.

So, What’s Going on With PR Lately?

You used to need a Rolodex, a good hook, and maybe a martini lunch to land a headline. These days? You need algorithms, media databases, and enough charm to stand out in a sea of pitches generated by AI.

The whole game has shifted. Journalists are swamped. Brands are scrambling to sound fresh. And AI is stepping in to speed up everything from outreach to writing to data crunching.

But faster isn’t always better. The truth is that people still connect with people. Not stiff, formulaic pitches. Not auto-generated fluff. That’s why smart brands are asking, “How do we keep up with the tech while still sounding like ourselves?”

Short answer? Work with folks who don’t just know how to use AI but know when to ignore it. Snerk PR falls into that rare camp.

What’s Changed Since 2020?

Let’s start with the numbers.

According to PRWeek’s 2024 survey, 64% of PR pros now use AI tools for media monitoring and campaign planning. Over at HubSpot, a 2024 report showed more than 70% of marketers use at least one AI tool at work.

AI tools like Muck Rack, Propel, and even ChatGPT are writing pitches, tracking journalist beats, and identifying media opportunities that used to take hours of grunt work.

And yes, it works. Pitch open rates are getting smarter. Sentiment analysis is more accurate. Press cycles are shorter. Everyone’s moving faster. But if your content reads like a chatbot, no one’s listening.

Even as the tech improves, the expectations have evolved. Brands are now expected to respond in near real time while still delivering messaging that feels personal and emotionally intelligent. That’s a tall order, even for AI.

Media Outreach: Quicker, yes. Better? Depends.

There’s no denying AI has made media outreach less of a slog. Instead of scanning LinkedIn and building media lists manually, platforms now tell you who’s writing about your niche and when they’re likely to open your pitch.

But just because AI makes something easier doesn’t mean it makes it good.

I once used an AI template to pitch a podcast host. It hit every keyword. Had the right subject line length. Even personalized the intro, except it called him “Julie” instead of “James.” Twice. I never heard back.

Lesson learned: AI helps, but it doesn’t replace basic human awareness. Snerk’s approach? Use AI to find the right person, then pitch them like one.

Good outreach still hinges on timing, tone, and relevance—things AI can’t always get right. Sometimes it’s the quirky reference or timely pop culture nod that gets the reply, not the SEO-perfect intro.

Journalist Relationships Still Matter

Journalists can smell automation from a mile away. They’re getting hundreds of pitches a day, and the ones that stand out usually aren’t the most polished—they’re the most real.

That’s the edge human-first agencies still have. They build actual relationships. They follow up with a thoughtful note, not a triggered sequence. They know that sometimes a GIF does more than three paragraphs of keyword-stuffed copy.

Snerk PR plays the long game here. They use AI for insight, not impersonation. And that’s why their pitches don’t just land; they stick.

More importantly, these relationships help brands stay relevant even when they’re not launching a new product or making headlines. Consistency builds credibility.

AI Can Write. But can it write you?

Let’s talk content.

Sure, AI can write press releases. And emails. And headlines. And yes, you can ask it to “make it funnier” or “more confident” or “less robotic.”

But there’s a reason so many AI-written pieces feel forgettable.

You’ve probably read one before. It says all the right things. It’s formatted correctly. And it leaves you with absolutely no memory of what you just read.

That’s where Snerk PR stands out. They use AI to sketch the rough idea, but then they run it through real writers who know voice, tone, and how to entertain people. Their slogan says it best: “We have words.” And they mean it.

The best PR copy has rhythm, humor, friction, and even a little attitude. That kind of nuance doesn’t come from a machine. It comes from humans who’ve spent years studying how words move people.

So, how can brands keep up?

The good news? You don’t need to be a tech wizard or start learning machine learning on the weekends.

Here’s what helps:

Use AI tools to spot trends, build media lists, and outline first drafts

Don’t let them write everything, especially not the heart of your message.

Check every pitch with your human brain before hitting send.

Stick to real stories, relatable angles, and humor when it feels right.

Snerk PR doesn’t try to automate authenticity. They use AI to cut down the boring stuff and spend more time crafting ideas that connect. From bold earned media placements to wild, unorthodox paid campaigns, they know how to keep things fresh without losing the plot.

And yes, it’s okay to let AI do the heavy lifting; just make sure it’s lifting the right things.

Conclusion

AI is here. That’s a fact. But so is noise. And the brands that are standing out in 2025 aren’t the ones yelling louder; they’re the ones that still know how to tell a good story.

Snerk PR gets that. They use the best PR tools for brands to work smarter, but they still bring human instinct, strategy, and a little bit of edge to everything they do. Because sounding unmistakably human might just be your biggest competitive edge now that AI is quietly taking over.

If you’re tired of sounding like everyone else, maybe it’s time to get weird in a good way.

Author Bio

Harry Maugans is the CEO of Snerk Media, a PR agency built for brands with something to say and the guts to say it loud. Known for helping brands stand out without selling out, he combines analytical insight with compelling storytelling to spark attention and action. When not in the thick of media strategy, Harry indulges his love for the ocean as a passionate beach aficionado.

NEXT: The Ethical Implications of Using AI as a Decision-Making Partner

Top 7 Passive Income Trends in 2025: Earn Without Lifting a Finger

Posted on July 15, 2025July 15, 2025 by Shivani Ghadage

In 2025, passive income isn’t just smart. It’s a luxury, achievable strategy. With the coordination of AI, automation, and digital platforms at our fingertips, nowadays Earning money no longer means working around the clock; it’s about quality and smart work. Whether you are a student, freelancer, or aspiring entrepreneur, new tools and technologies are making it a piece of cake to build income streams that run on autopilot. Here we don’t need a big investment, just the right mindset with a fully planned path along with the willingness to start. From the apps that earn while we & the world sleep to the digital products that sell themselves, the future of earning is here. Get ready to make your money work for you. Let’s explore the top trends.

AI-Powered Content Creation: Turn Your Ideas into Income

In 2025, the digital economy is going through a big change that combines knowledge with ease of access. The truth is that professional writers, designers, and developers are still very important when it comes to making digital content good. They are irreplaceable because they can think strategically, bring ideas to life in creative ways, and build things that are deep. But what’s different? It’s how we make things and who gets to help.

Smart tools like ChatGPT, Jasper AI, and Sora have made it possible for anyone to make content, not just professionals. These platforms have made it easier and faster than ever for students, solopreneurs, creators, and small business owners to turn their ideas into real things.

Print-on-Demand Stores: Build a Brand Without Stock or Stress

Just Imagine You are running your own merchandise business without ever touching inventory or worrying about shipping. Same, Wise, that’s exactly what print-on-demand platforms like Redbubble, Teespring, and Printery offer. You can also experiment with trending quotes, seasonal themes, or niche artwork. The more unique your product, the more likely it is to stand out. You simply need to upload your design on the products like T-shirts, mugs, phone cases, or tote bags, and the platform takes care of the remaining things, from production and packaging to delivery. Even if you are from a non-design background, tools like Canva and Mid journey can help you create stunning, aesthetic artwork using just simple prompts and templates. No graphic design skills are needed. Start small, stay creative, and let the platform do the heavy lifting while you build your passive income brand.

YouTube Automation: Earn from Content Without Ever Being on Camera

In 2025, you don’t need to be a YouTuber to make money on YouTube. With YouTube automation, you can build an entire channel without showing your face or using your voice. Using AI voiceovers, stock videos, and freelance editors, creators are launching faceless channels that run almost on autopilot. Popular topics like motivational quotes, top 10 lists, finance tips, and health facts continue to attract millions of views. What’s the best part? Some creators are earning over $2,000/month without ever recording a single clip themselves. If you’ve got ideas and vision, the camera doesn’t need you; your content does.

Fractional Real Estate: Smart Investing, One Step at a Time

In India, platforms like Grip Invest and Jupiter Edge are making this opportunity accessible, transparent, and fully digital. It’s not about owning an entire building; it’s about owning a piece that works for you. Start small. Think big. Let your money grow while you focus on your future. Many platforms offer properties vetted by experts, and investors receive regular updates and rent payouts directly to their accounts. It’s a hands-off, secure way to start building wealth through real estate even as a beginner.

Conclusion

The world of passive income isn’t reserved for the wealthy anymore. It’s open to anyone with vision and initiative. With the right tools, a smart mindset, and a sprinkle of creativity, you can earn while you sleep, study, or build your dream business.

Joe Garber: Empowering Marketing Leadership in the AI Era

Posted on July 15, 2025August 14, 2025 by Shivani Ghadage

In the fast-paced world of B2B marketing, the difference between failure and success often comes down to a leader’s ability to empower. By building a framework and a team that enables one to delegate authority, a leader can maximize output and set the foundations for scale.

Few leaders have embodied the concept of empowerment more than Joe Garber. A multi-time CMO and current fractional CMO practice lead for Kainos Consulting, a 20-year-old management consulting firm, Garber has served on the front lines of numerous success stories.

As CMO of Axiad, a cybersecurity software vendor serving enterprise and public sector customers, he led a complete overhaul of the marketing department. This included a comprehensive rebranding effort, the construction of a modern demand generation engine and MarTech stack, and a realignment of several internal and outsourced resources.

Two years later, the company notched its best four individual quarters (from a marketing funnel perspective) in its 12-year history and 100% net-new ARR growth year-over-year. Axiad was also recognized as a finalist for “Excellence in Brand Activation & Experience” in Gartner Research’s annual marketing and communications awards and he was named CMO of the Year by GRC Outlook Magazine following these efforts.

Garber has similarly led growth initiatives for $200M+ business units at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Quest Software, and HP and for early-stage companies like RenewData. He is quick to point out that his success is built on his ability to leverage the strengths and passions of those around him, however.

“Business success ultimately comes down to growth, and rarely is that accomplished on your own. The most successful executives I know recognize they have strengths and weaknesses, and they know how to tap into others – and leverage technology and process – to close the gaps. But that success isn’t just accomplished simply through delegation. It’s about building clarity, culture, and consistency across teams, and then aligning strategy, process, and purpose.”

Demand Built on Empowering Extended Teams

Garber has led demand generation teams for more than 15 years – crafting strategy and leading execution via direct or matrixed teams in up to 50 countries worldwide. He naturally has learned to delegate to trusted individuals who directly report to him. But he has also learned how to empower extended teams to build sustainable pipeline as well.

For instance, he is a believer in outsourcing certain highly specialized or hard-to-retain roles to third parties. At Axiad, he outsourced digital marketing to a specialized media agency for SEO optimization, plus executing pay-per-click and paid social campaigns that required a unique skillset. He also shifted outbound calling resources (business development representatives) to an outside organization that specialized in attracting, training, and retaining these valuable assets.

A common thread to success in empowering these outside teams is alignment on the fundamentals. Garber is quick to make sure that any supporting function is clear on who they are marketing to (the ideal customer profile and target personas), core messaging, and what success looks like (as defined by target metrics or KPIs).

Growth Driven by Customer Empowerment

Oftentimes, marketing is so focused on building demand via new logos that it takes its eye off another important element to growth – existing customers. According to Garber, this is a recipe for business slowdown, as customers who are feeling unfulfilled often jump to competitive offerings. This churn of course leads to lower net revenue retention (NRR) but also requires more expensive outreach to net-new prospects to make up the difference.

As former head of corporate marketing for a global public company, Garber was responsible for customer advocacy across thousands of the company’s buyers. He understood the importance of connecting with them to gather testimonials and “voice-of-customer” that could help build the organization’s market credibility. He soon realized that another core part of his role was to gather feedback from these customers for empowering them to attain maximum value from their investments.

Garber executed customer events on five continents, employed teams to regularly touch base with these organizations and solicit input from them, and organized executive-level advisory boards to foster open dialogue. He also actively engaged with industry analysts who served as a proxy for emerging customer needs. He then formalized a mechanism for gathering and codifying this information to ensure this critical insight was delivered to appropriate product development teams. That company subsequently registered a successful exit at nearly $6B.

Scale Via Empowering (AI) Technology

Empowerment is not only applicable to people, and this is particularly true at this juncture in history as artificial intelligence becomes a trusted marketing ally. Garber has embraced this technology and employs it for a variety of business-critical actions, including:

Segmentation: Refining the ideal customer profile and identifying new potential “more like this” targets.

Market Analysis: Extracting customer insights and understanding buying propensity by applying predictive analytics to intent data.

Content Creation: Developing marketing copy, subject lines, voiceovers for demos, and imagery that underpins the company narrative.

Digital Marketing: Inspiring offers and content plus informing advertisement targeting and retargeting.

Engagement: Leveraging chatbots to quickly interact with customers and prospective customers to ascertain needs and resolution.

Optimization: Monitoring of data trends to get the most out of search engine optimization, lead scoring and routing, asset performance, and more.

Garber not only uses this technology, but in fact takes certain steps to let it act largely on its own – without significant human oversight – in an “agentic” fashion.

He does not take letting technology act autonomously lightly, however, and he is conscious about its risk to brand and company if technology is left unchecked. He notes that it is critical to establish unambiguous policies about corporate IT, brand, and privacy to serve as guardrails as the technology performs actions on behalf of the function, and that cybersecurity checkups should regularly be performed to ensure a side door isn’t inadvertently left open for bad actors.

In Summary

Joe Garber’s impact as a business leader goes far beyond metrics—it’s rooted in his unwavering belief that empowerment drives excellence. Whether he’s scaling marketing across continents, elevating customer voices, or harnessing the power of AI, Garber consistently builds frameworks where people, partners, and platforms thrive together. His legacy isn’t just growth; it’s growth that lasts because it’s built on trust, clarity, and collaboration. In an era of constant change, Garber stands out as a business leader who doesn’t just adapt – he empowers others to lead alongside him.

Joe Garber Bio

Joe Garber is a fractional Chief Marketing Officer at Kainos Consulting, where we advises early-to-mid-stage organizations on marketing strategy and execution. He has more than 15 years of marketing leadership experience, with marketing VP-level roles at startups and billion-dollar companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Quest Software, and HP.

NEXT: AI in Public Relations: How Brands Can Keep Up in 2025

Global Business 3.0: Building a Borderless Brand Today

Posted on July 15, 2025July 15, 2025 by Shivani Ghadage

What if your brand could speak every language without saying a word? In the fast-evolving world of Global Business 3.0, traditional growth playbooks are no longer enough. We’re entering an era where cultural intelligence, digital agility, and emotional resonance are your brand’s most powerful currencies. It’s not just about expanding markets anymore. It’s about creating borderless brands that feel local everywhere and connect deeply anywhere.

This is the dawn of businesses that don’t just scale but serve with soul. Where trust, adaptability, and relevance are non-negotiable. Brands that embrace this shift are not only growing across continents they’re winning hearts across cultures.

Why Borderless Brands Win Now

The global market is vast but also crowded. What sets winning brands apart?

Personalization across regions

Purpose-led messaging

Consistency with flexibility

Your brand must feel local in Tokyo and trusted in Toronto. Consumers crave authenticity, relevance, and trust. They aren’t just buying your product, they’re investing in your values, your vision, and how you make them feel. Brands that adapt while staying consistent build deeper, lasting loyalty.

Cultural Intelligence: The New Brand Currency

Borderless branding demands more than translations. It demands true cultural fluency:

Hire and empower local talent

Localize messaging with insight, not assumption

Honor culture not just market

Smart global brands don’t just show up they belong. They co-create with local voices, celebrate cultural milestones, and embed themselves in the community. The ability to genuinely connect and honour people’s identities is what elevates a brand from global to meaningful.

Digital-First, Human Always

In Global Business 3.0, digital is your storefront. But your success depends on emotional depth, not just digital reach:

Personalized platforms with regional UX

Omnichannel experience across mobile, web, and retail

Thoughtful content that speaks to local hearts rooted in real stories, shared emotions, and everyday relevance

Technology gives us the platform. Empathy gives us the message. The best global brands feel personal and seamless, no matter where or how customers engage

Think Global, Act Local

Being everywhere means nothing if you don’t understand the people you’re trying to reach. Borderless brands scale local impact:

Collaborate with regional creators and micro-influencers

Tailor product and campaigns to local culture and habits

Use data to shape brand voice by region

Today, global success = hyperlocal strategy + global values. Go deep before you go wide. Think like a startup in each new market.

Lead with Trust, Show with Action

In a post-pandemic world full of scepticism, trust is currency. Consumers follow brands that:

Lead with values and purpose

Practice radical transparency

Prioritize inclusion, sustainability, and social good

They don’t want promises. They want proof. In this era, people aren’t looking for perfection they’re looking for real: honesty, intention, and accountability. Brands must walk their talk across every language, every region, and every platform.

Storytelling That Transcends Borders

Borderless brands are master storytellers. They create narratives that:

Center around shared human experiences

Celebrate diversity while embracing unity

Align customer stories with brand mission

Great stories travel. They don’t get lost in translation; they get amplified. Global Business 3.0 means building brand stories that invite participation, create emotion, and spark trust across time zones.

Collaboration is the New Expansion

Instead of expanding alone, brands are collaborating across borders:

Partnering with mission-driven organizations

Launching cross-cultural campaigns

Building co-branded experiences with community input

Borderless success is no longer about size, it’s about shared value, shared growth, and shared impact. The best brands of this decade will lead like ecosystems, not empires.

From Static Strategy to Fluid Framework

Global Business 3.0 is agile, not rigid. The future belongs to brands that:

Monitor real-time global trends and conversations

Empower local teams to act fast

Adapt offerings and content with cultural sensitivity

The old model of HQ-led globalization is outdated. Today’s borderless brands listen louder than they speak. They move like culture does fast, inclusive, and responsive.

Conclusion

In today’s world, building a borderless brand is no longer a competitive edge, it’s a global necessity. Global Business 3.0 demands that brands lead with empathy, adapt with agility, and connect with cultural relevance. The future belongs to brands that don’t just expand, they truly connect. That doesn’t just scale but sustain. And that doesn’t just sell but serve. Because in this new world, your success isn’t about how many countries you reach, it’s about how deeply you’re trusted across them all. A borderless brand doesn’t erase differences, it celebrates them. And in that celebration, we find the most powerful business growth of all human connection.

The Ethical Implications of Using AI as a Decision-Making Partner

Posted on July 15, 2025July 15, 2025 by Shivani Ghadage

AI’s advanced systems and algorithms may process data faster than humans, but more indiscriminately. Its efficiency makes it a tempting tool for entrepreneurs and executives eager to streamline their operations, cut costs or gain a competitive edge. However, ethical cracks show in your systems when you give artificial intelligence free rein in decision-making processes.

Overreliance Without Understanding

AI tools often appear foolproof on the surface. Trusting them unquestioningly can be dangerous, especially when users don’t fully understand conclusions or how those systems reach them because of a lack of transparency in the decision-making process. The complexity of deep learning, where neural networks process data in layers, means outcomes are often untraceable, even to developers.

The more businesses rely on AI to guide decisions, the higher the risk of significant missteps when the algorithm goes wrong. This is especially harmful in industries like health care, finance or recruitment, where machine-driven decisions have the power to affect lives negatively. Machine outputs can be misleading, discriminatory and flat-out wrong.

The Illusion of Expertise

Most people who claim to “use AI” are experimenting, not engineering. While many organizations report a high level of AI adoption, the reality is that employees may say they’re confident in using it, but only 12% of staff have actual working experience using artificial intelligence technologies. This gap between perception and reality feeds into misplaced trust.

When teams don’t understand how a model is trained or what data it draws on, they’re unlikely to challenge its outputs — even when something feels off. That false sense of competence creates openings for unethical use, unconscious bias and missed red flags.

Trusting Black Boxes

Artificial intelligence technologies seem to be developing faster than humans can keep track, and systems built on large neural networks with deep learning algorithms are known as “black boxes” with obscure inner workings. Yet companies increasingly treat system outputs as objective.

That’s the real problem. You can’t evaluate fairness or legality if you don’t know how machines decide on a recommendation or action. The lack of transparency makes it harder to contest outcomes, explain actions to stakeholders or spot system errors because of faulty reasoning.

Accountability Is Still a Human Characteristic

A machine can recommend, but it can’t be held accountable. Even when AI drives a decision, the human behind the development must answer for its impact. This applies to business leaders, developers and anyone integrating AI into workflows.

Oversight defines who’s responsible, how decisions are reached, how performance is audited and what happens when things go wrong. Clear accountability frameworks are essential and have already been suggested in clinical settings. Businesses expose themselves to reputational, financial and legal risk without that structure.

Biased Datasets — Compromised Results

Algorithms reflect the data they’re trained on, and most historical data set s are riddled with bias, and sets compiled by humans also contain biases. Whether it’s underrepresentation in training samples or skewed outcomes from decades of discrimination, AI can amplify existing inequalities rather than correct them.

Even well-intending systems can perpetuate harm. Without proactive testing, refinement and diversified development teams, bias seeps in quietly and becomes normalized.

Ethical Data Use and Security

AI doesn’t just process public data. It often absorbs sensitive personal information, sometimes without consent, while also leaving watermarking or embedded signals on the output. Poorly secured data pipelines can open businesses to sophisticated cyber attacks, legal violations, competitive risk and exploitation.

When proprietary or customer data gets fed into large-scale models, it’s not always clear where that information ends up or who has access. One slip could be catastrophic in sectors with regulatory burdens, such as health care or finance.

Guardrails for Ethical Use and Decision-Making

AI isn’t inherently unethical. The challenge is in its application, and whether organizations put guidelines and quality checks in place. An example of an ethical AI application is “Constitutional AI” as used by Claude AI with greater responsibility.

Human oversight is essential to ensure that outputs are ethical, legal and aligned with company values. These controlling steps aren’t just best practices — they’re survival strategies in an increasingly AI-reliant world.

To use AI responsibly, businesses should:

Establish oversight thresholds for when human review is required.

Run system performance audits regularly to catch bias or drift.

Maintain audit trails to show the decision-making steps to assist with accountability.

Define what accountability looks like, so responsibility doesn’t get passed to the machine.

Prioritize transparency in internal processes and customer-facing policies.

Use AI With Eyes Wide Open

AI should support decision-making, not replace it. It’s a powerful tool, but not a moral agent. The smarter your systems get, the more important human ethics, transparency and accountability become.

If you’re relying on AI to help you make business-critical decisions, you can’t afford to let convenience override caution. Ask how your systems work, and question their inputs and outputs. Make sure there’s always a person — not a black box — behind your company’s choices.

FAQ

Is It Ethical to Use AI in Decision-Making at All?

With responsible design, transparent processes and human oversight, using AI in decision-making and automation can be ethically sustainable. Ethical use depends on how AI is integrated and monitored.

What Is the Biggest Ethical Risk of Using AI?

Unjustified trust in opaque systems that may carry hidden bias leads to unfair or harmful decisions without accountability.

How Can Companies Ensure Responsible Use of AI?

By developing internal frameworks for oversight, ensuring transparency, running regular audits and involving diverse stakeholders in system design to create comprehensive datasets for better outputs.

What Role Should Humans Play When AI Features in Decision-Making?

Humans should act as informed overseers. That means understanding how the AI works, validating its outputs and stepping in when ethical, legal or contextual judgment is needed. AI can assist, but final accountability must stay human.

Jack Shaw, a seasoned writer and senior editor of Modded Magazine, harnesses his technological expertise to unravel the complexities of business innovation for a diverse readership. His insights can be seen in publications including Safeopedia, USCCG and Insurance Thought Leadership, guiding industry professionals through the evolving digital landscape.

NEXT: AI in Public Relations: How Brands Can Keep Up in 2025