Here’s the easiest way to think about AI: it’s an intern. Not a seasoned pro, not a manager — an intern.
Eager? Yep. Fast? Sure. Smart in some ways? Absolutely.
But also: clueless, unproven, and in desperate need of supervision.
If you treat AI like a fully trained expert, you’re going to get burned. If you treat it like an intern and guide it carefully, you’ll get value without the mess.
Why AI Acts Like an Intern
AI doesn’t “know” things. It predicts the most likely answer. That means it often sounds confident, but it doesn’t always know what it’s talking about. Just like that eager new intern who says “yes” to everything without understanding the assignment.
Left unsupervised, both AI and interns can cause chaos.
What Happens When You Don’t Supervise
- Confidently wrong answers. AI will hand you garbage with a smile.
- Bad decisions. It won’t tell you when something’s a terrible idea.
- Security risks. Dumping sensitive info into random tools is like letting your intern carry client files to Starbucks.
- Embarrassment. If you copy-paste without checking, you’ll eventually send out something cringe-worthy.
How to Coach AI (So It Doesn’t Embarrass You)
- Give clear, specific instructions. Don’t just say “write a policy,” say “write a cell phone use policy for a 40-person CPA firm.”
- Feed it examples. Show it what “good” looks like in your business.
- Review everything. Treat its output like a rough draft, not a final product.
- Keep it in safe tools. Stick with vetted platforms (like Microsoft Copilot in 365) or anonymize the data.
What AI Will Never Do for You
- Stop you when you’re about to do something dumb.
- Think about long-term consequences for your business.
- Take responsibility when things go wrong.
That’s why AI will always need human supervision. It’s a tool, not a decision-maker.
Takeaway
AI isn’t your new director of operations. It’s your eager-but-green intern. Supervise it, train it, and keep it away from sensitive data until you trust the guardrails. Do that, and it can be helpful. Leave it alone, and it’ll make a mess you get to clean up later.