communications, handle enquiries and automate follow-up.
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce brought some of those applications together at its AI Show & Tell event at Keele University on September 15. Led by experts including Professor Samir Dani of Keele University and Professor Mohamed Sedky of the University of Staffordshire, the programme moved from productivity tools and live demonstrations to automation, governance, return on investment and the creation of a 90-day AI action plan.
The premise was practical: businesses know AI is changing the way they work, but many still do not know where to begin.
Eve Davies, Communications Director at Newcastle-under-Lyme-based ProtectaPet, recognises that uncertainty. The company, which develops systems to make gardens safe for cats, has technology and innovation at its core. It has invested in bespoke software that enables its team to configure catproofing systems for gardens of different shapes and sizes.
Yet Davies says she did not initially realise how many of the tools already being used by the business relied on AI. Today it assists with everyday work including searching emails and handling information, saving time that would otherwise be spent on manual tasks.
“ They just take me a lot longer. They’ re much more efficient,” she says, pointing to Copilot’ s ability to find emails relating to a particular subject as one everyday example of time saved.
That kind of benefit explains why AI has become so compelling to smaller businesses. It lowers the barrier to experimentation. A company does not necessarily need a large IT department to test a new workflow, interrogate its data, produce a first draft or offer a quicker initial response to customers.
In her accompanying take, TAFCO director Lynda Bradbury argues that this is where AI’ s greatest immediate value lies. It can take care of repetitive, time-consuming work while leaving people to concentrate on relationships, skilled judgement and growth. For a small firm facing missed calls, administrative backlogs or recruitment difficulties, that can be a meaningful competitive advantage.
But efficiency is only one part of the calculation.
The knowledge beneath the task
James Lumsden-Cook of publishing company Bennion Kearny focuses on a less visible consequence, like what happens when businesses automate the basic tasks through which people acquire expertise?
In publishing, junior editors have traditionally learned by reading submissions, drafting cover copy and producing metadata. AI can now complete those tasks in a fraction of the time. The output still needs an experienced person to verify it— but that experience was built by doing the work now handed to the machine.
It is a problem that reaches well beyond publishing. If AI takes on entry-level research, administration, analysis or technical work, businesses may enjoy an immediate productivity gain while weakening the route by which future managers, craftspeople and specialists develop judgement.
The issue is not necessarily that every task automated equates to a job lost. Roles have always evolved alongside technology. The deeper question is whether employers will continue to invest in people when the early stages of their development appear slower and more expensive than software— and, if they do not, where the experienced human oversight demanded by those systems will come from.
Davies believes some conventional skills will inevitably disappear, just as widespread use of satellite navigation has reduced the need to learn how to navigate from a map. Other capabilities may become more valuable in their place.
She believes problem solving and innovative thinking will become increasingly important, alongside“ reading critically, reading what AI gives you and finding the holes in it”.
That places a significant responsibility on employers and education providers. AI literacy cannot mean knowing only how to generate an answer. It must include the ability to question that answer, understand the limitations of the system and recognise when a decision requires expertise, context or empathy.
The council’ s proposed three-tier skills framework— covering foundational AI literacy, occupational capability and specialist leadership skills— is an attempt to address that need. Its
THE BIG DEBATE
Turn AI awareness into practical skills
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce’ s AI Academy is designed to help businesses move from discussing artificial intelligence to using it confidently in everyday work.
The practical, hands-on programme teaches employees how to use tools including ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot for tasks such as writing, research, communication, idea generation, data analysis and project support.
Training is delivered through a three-tier framework:
1. AI Fundamentals Masterclass
An introduction to AI’ s everyday capabilities, focusing on writing, research and communication.
2. AI Proficiency Masterclass
Practical application across core business functions, including idea generation, data analysis and project support.
3. AI Mastery Masterclass
More advanced training covering reasoning, AI agents and personalisation.
Assignments are tailored to the learner’ s role and industry, allowing participants to develop skills through their day-to-day work. Learners receive 24 / 7 access to the platform, immediate feedback on assignments, ongoing updates as the technology develops and shareable LinkedIn credentials.
Licences cost £ 169 plus VAT for Chamber members and £ 199 plus VAT for non-members.
business case also emphasises young people, unemployed residents, workers requiring retraining and those at greater risk of digital exclusion or displacement.
Who owns the decision?
The requirement for human judgement becomes especially important when an AI-generated mistake can cause financial, legal or physical harm.
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