By Caroline Rozman, Student at Villanova University
Prior to beginning my time with Harmonyze, I had very minimal exposure to AI in the business world, so I was not able to grasp the power or magnitude of it.
In fact, I knew quite the opposite. My English and literature classes constantly warned against using any form of AI with our assignments. I understand this was done to encourage our own creative and authentic work, but I feel like it conditioned me to look down on AI tools and avoid them in my everyday life.
The one exception to this negative perception of AI was in my statistics class, where we utilized Microsoft Copilot to analyze data for a class project. Even with that project, however, the model was not specific and led me to believe that all AI was broad-reaching and nonspecific.
Another topic that has generated buzz throughout my campus is the threat AI poses to us in the job market by “taking over” many entry-level positions, which further soured my view of it.
However, looking into Harmonyze has broadened my perspective on the benefits and uses of AI. Within a business, it is clear that having AI is critical and that lacking it would leave a company meaningfully behind its competitors. I think about the franchise coaches I have learned about who are tasked with helping their franchisees. It would be irresponsible—maybe even malpractice!—for a franchisor to ignore AI that could analyze all available data to unlock the most profitable improvements. If I were a franchisee, I would certainly want my coach to leverage all available tools rather than require the coach to rely solely on their own “creative or authentic work.”
Something else I have learned is how AI can be customized to serve a particular purpose. In the case of Harmonyze, this involves collecting large amounts of data from across an entire franchise system to provide a more efficient and accurate franchise coaching tool. After I understood how this tool was used, my perspective really started to shift. I am now able to grasp the real-world applications of AI rather than view it only as a looming threat and unknown. Even more, I am able to see how greatly it can help improve a company’s productivity and growth.
Looking back, I realize that my concerns about AI replacing jobs came from not fully understanding its potential. I still believe the workplace will change, especially for entry-level roles, but I now see AI less as a replacement for people and more as a tool that amplifies human expertise. The professionals who learn to work alongside AI rather than compete against it will be the ones best positioned to succeed.