What I Learned About AI at Villa Park (And Why You Can’t Ignore It)

I spent the day at the Midlands Business Network expo at Aston Villa, and if there was one clear theme dominating the room, it was this: AI is no longer a “future” concept—it is the current operating standard.

I sat in on two fantastic seminars—one from “Todd” at Spaghetti Agency and another from Microsoft AI Business Solutions Ambassador Matthew Higgins from Pax8 Urban Network—and came away with two very different, but equally urgent, messages for business leaders.

1. Your Marketing is Invisible if You Ignore AI Todd delivered a wake-up call regarding Google. The days of “10 blue links” are dying. We are moving toward “AI Summaries” where Google answers the user directly without them ever clicking your website.

• The Stat: 66% of Gen Z now ask AI for answers rather than searching Google keywords.

• The Fix: We need to stop keyword stuffing and start answering the “stupid questions” our customers ask, using conversational, human language.

2. Your Workforce is Burning Out Without AI  Matthew highlighted that while we worry about AI taking jobs, we should be worried about burnout.

• The Stat: In a Microsoft pilot, one user saved 168 hours in a single month using Copilot. That is effectively an entire salary saved.

• The Fix: Treat AI like an intern. It needs context and instruction. Don’t just tell it to “write an email”; tell it who it is for, what the tone is, and why you are sending it.

The Bottom Line Whether it’s getting found online (SEO) or getting work done offline (Productivity), AI is the engine. As leaders, we don’t need to be coders, but we do need to be the architects of how our teams use these tools.

Glenn Cameron your Master Connector as a member of The Midland Business Network and representing Business Buzz, BNI and The Business Network across the Midlands read my full thoughts here.