{"id":70104,"date":"2026-07-02T15:26:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=70104"},"modified":"2026-07-02T15:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:26:19","slug":"no-fences-dealers-examine-philosophical-limits-for-ai-usage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2026\/07\/no-fences-dealers-examine-philosophical-limits-for-ai-usage\/","title":{"rendered":"No Fences? Dealers Examine Philosophical Limits for AI Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Two things are clearly obvious when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by businesses. One, few areas within an operation wouldn\u2019t benefit from some flavor of AI application. Two, there are a few areas within an operation where a company absolutely will not allow AI to roam free. It is what\u2019s known as the \u201cAw, hell no!\u201d doctrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The balancing act of how much AI is too much AI is the kickoff topic for this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on the ballyhooed tech. We polled our cast of dealer executives to see which areas, if any, are absolutely off limits when it comes to where and how it\u2019s used. As expected, some dealers are more guarded while others have no immediate intentions to rope off certain segments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jake Elliott,
Spectrum Technologies<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some dealers are loath to take a hard-line stance on keeping business departments\/applications off limits. Jake Elliott, the vice president and CRO for Spectrum Technologies of El Paso, Texas, feels that can be a mistake. For one, he believes there\u2019s a perception that AI\u2019s usefulness is relegated to repetitive, entry-level or administrative tasks. On the contrary; Elliott wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see it deliver value to the more complex areas of business, including strategy, leadership decision making, forecasting, customer experience and operational planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Game-changing technology has set a precedence. \u201cTo me, saying certain areas are permanently off limits would be like saying 30 years ago that the internet should only be used for email and basic research, but never for sales, customer service, banking, education, or running major parts of a business,\u201d Elliott noted. \u201cAt the time, that might have sounded cautious. Looking back, it would have been incredibly limiting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Nate Schaf, Eakes
Office Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One dealer that has green-lighted widespread usage is Eakes Office Solutions of Grand Island, Nebraska. Chief Technology Officer Nate Schaf notes the company philosophy is to continuously evaluate where AI can remove friction or improve efficiency, particularly in repetitive or low-value tasks. There is fine print involved with the viewpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe remain deliberate about where and how AI is applied, especially when outputs influence pricing decisions, customer experience or operational execution,\u201d Schaf said. \u201cAI is a decision support tool, not a replacement for accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Situational Limits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Sam Stone,
Stone’s Office Equipment<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For Sam Stone, president of Stone\u2019s Office Equipment in Richmond, Virginia, there are limitations surrounding AI use. With relationships and trust core to the firm\u2019s business model, the customer experience must remain a human one. Areas that are verboten for AI include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Final customer relationship decisions<\/li>
  • Difficult conversations<\/li>
  • Strategic negotiations<\/li>
  • Hiring and culture decisions<\/li>
  • Conflict resolution<\/li>
  • High-level consultative sales discussions<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    While Stone likes AI\u2019s ability to assist communications, it cannot deliver or replace discernment, empathy or accountability. \u201cWe also believe there\u2019s danger in allowing AI to create artificial authenticity \u2014 especially in sales and marketing,\u201d he said. \u201cCustomers can eventually tell when every message feels polished but hollow. Our goal is to use AI to amplify our voice, not replace it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Erik Braden,
    Braden Business Systems<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Other dealers take a more deliberate stroll down the AI path, a group that includes Erik Braden, CEO and managing partner for Braden Business Systems in Fishers, Indiana. Braden outlined three areas in which he believes a more prudent stance is necessary. One is decision-making on a client\u2019s security posture or risk profile. While AI can spot patterns, flag anomalies and accelerate analysis, he believes risk analysis should fall to a human who can be accountable for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hiring decisions and personnel matters require a human touch as well. AI can offer assistance on logistics, scheduling, and the mechanical parts of a recruiting process. But making a call on hires, evaluating performance or professional advancement needs a more personal touch, and Braden believes the company owes that much to the team and prospective staff additions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A third area is sensitive client conversation, anything ranging from a service issue that impacted their business to a problematic renewal or even a breach. The technology can help prep the conversation, but in this case the client needs to be looked in the eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cRelationships in this channel are built over years, and trust is earned in the moments that are hardest to script,\u201d Braden noted. \u201cThose moments belong to people. I would say that to any dealer principal: do not let AI in the room when you are sitting across from a client whose business depends on what you say next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the end, it\u2019s all about accountability. \u201cWherever the answer to \u2018who is responsible if this goes wrong\u2019 needs to be a person, the decision-making needs to stay with a person,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keeping it Real<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    T,J, DeBello, Stargel Office Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Houston-based Stargel Office Solutions is another dealer unwilling to let AI intercede in affairs that would optimally be addressed by real team members. Relationship building, decision making, customer trust and technical expertise are a few examples, notes T.J. DeBello, vice president of sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cIn our industry, customers still value human experience, responsiveness and accountability,\u201d he noted. \u201cAI can help draft a message, organize a proposal, or identify opportunities, but it should not replace the judgment of experienced salespeople, service leaders, technicians, or executives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe are also cautious with confidential information, customer-specific data, pricing decisions, legal language, HR matters, and anything that requires verified technical accuracy, DeBello added. Those areas require human oversight and, when appropriate, expert review.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Two things are clearly obvious when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by businesses. One, few areas within an operation wouldn\u2019t benefit from some flavor of AI application. Two, there are a few areas within an operation where a company absolutely will not allow AI to roam free. It is what\u2019s known as the \u201cAw, hell no!\u201d doctrine. The balancing act of how much AI is too much AI is the kickoff topic for this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on the ballyhooed tech. We polled our cast of dealer executives to see which areas, if any, are absolutely off limits when it comes to where and how it\u2019s used. As expected, some dealers are more guarded while others have no immediate intentions to rope off certain segments. Some dealers are loath to take a hard-line stance on keeping business departments\/applications off limits. Jake Elliott, the vice president and CRO for Spectrum Technologies of El Paso, Texas, feels that can be a mistake. For one, he believes there\u2019s a perception that AI\u2019s usefulness is relegated to repetitive, entry-level or administrative tasks. On the contrary; Elliott wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see it deliver value to the more complex areas of business, including strategy, leadership decision making, forecasting, customer experience and operational planning. Game-changing technology has set a precedence. \u201cTo me, saying certain areas are permanently off limits would be like saying 30 years ago that the internet should only be used for email and basic research, but never for sales, customer service, banking, education, or running major parts of a business,\u201d Elliott noted. \u201cAt the time, that might have sounded cautious. Looking back, it would have been incredibly limiting.\u201d One dealer that has green-lighted widespread usage is Eakes Office Solutions of Grand Island, Nebraska. Chief Technology Officer Nate Schaf notes the company philosophy is to continuously evaluate where AI can remove friction or improve efficiency, particularly in repetitive or low-value tasks. There is fine print involved with the viewpoint. \u201cWe remain deliberate about where and how AI is applied, especially when outputs influence pricing decisions, customer experience or operational execution,\u201d Schaf said. \u201cAI is a decision support tool, not a replacement for accountability.\u201d Situational Limits For Sam Stone, president of Stone\u2019s Office Equipment in Richmond, Virginia, there are limitations surrounding AI use. With relationships and trust core to the firm\u2019s business model, the customer experience must remain a human one. Areas that are verboten for AI include: Final customer relationship decisions Difficult conversations Strategic negotiations Hiring and culture decisions Conflict resolution High-level consultative sales discussions While Stone likes AI\u2019s ability to assist communications, it cannot deliver or replace discernment, empathy or accountability. \u201cWe also believe there\u2019s danger in allowing AI to create artificial authenticity \u2014 especially in sales and marketing,\u201d he said. \u201cCustomers can eventually tell when every message feels polished but hollow. Our goal is to use AI to amplify our voice, not replace it.\u201d Other dealers take a more deliberate stroll down the AI path, a group that includes Erik Braden, CEO and managing partner for Braden Business Systems in Fishers, Indiana. Braden outlined three areas in which he believes a more prudent stance is necessary. One is decision-making on a client\u2019s security posture or risk profile. While AI can spot patterns, flag anomalies and accelerate analysis, he believes risk analysis should fall to a human who can be accountable for it. Hiring decisions and personnel matters require a human touch as well. AI can offer assistance on logistics, scheduling, and the mechanical parts of a recruiting process. But making a call on hires, evaluating performance or professional advancement needs a more personal touch, and Braden believes the company owes that much to the team and prospective staff additions. A third area is sensitive client conversation, anything ranging from a service issue that impacted their business to a problematic renewal or even a breach. The technology can help prep the conversation, but in this case the client needs to be looked in the eyes. \u201cRelationships in this channel are built over years, and trust is earned in the moments that are hardest to script,\u201d Braden noted. \u201cThose moments belong to people. I would say that to any dealer principal: do not let AI in the room when you are sitting across from a client whose business depends on what you say next.\u201d In the end, it\u2019s all about accountability. \u201cWherever the answer to \u2018who is responsible if this goes wrong\u2019 needs to be a person, the decision-making needs to stay with a person,\u201d he added. Keeping it Real Houston-based Stargel Office Solutions is another dealer unwilling to let AI intercede in affairs that would optimally be addressed by real team members. Relationship building, decision making, customer trust and technical expertise are a few examples, notes T.J. DeBello, vice president of sales. \u201cIn our industry, customers still value human experience, responsiveness and accountability,\u201d he noted. \u201cAI can help draft a message, organize a proposal, or identify opportunities, but it should not replace the judgment of experienced salespeople, service leaders, technicians, or executives. \u201cWe are also cautious with confidential information, customer-specific data, pricing decisions, legal language, HR matters, and anything that requires verified technical accuracy, DeBello added. Those areas require human oversight and, when appropriate, expert review.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":70105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1650,82,87,1638],"tags":[4705,2020,3940,1480],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70104"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70104"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70106,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70104\/revisions\/70106"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}