Chamber Luncheon: Unlock Business Potential with AI

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The Four-Hour Workday

In his 1930 essay Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren, economist John Maynard Keynes envisioned a future radically transformed by technological progress. He predicted that productivity would soar, allowing people to work less and live more freely. He foresaw a world where a 15-hour workweek, or a four-hour workday, would suffice to meet everyone’s needs. In some ways, Keynes was astonishingly prescient: productivity has indeed skyrocketed, increasing about four to eight times since his era. But his vision of a workday cut short hasn’t materialized. Instead, many of us find ourselves working as much—or even more—than ever, still striving to keep up with mounting demands in a fast-paced economy.

Why has this happened? The answer lies in a complex mix of rising living standards, evolving consumer desires, and structural economic forces that Keynes couldn’t have fully foreseen. The benefits of productivity have often been funneled toward producing more, not necessarily toward working less. But today, there may be a new reason for hope—a renewed possibility for reimagining productivity and freeing up our time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has entered the stage with a promise to automate mundane tasks, allowing us to focus on creative and meaningful work. And at the forefront of this shift is Microsoft’s Copilot technology, a tool designed specifically to streamline workflows and reduce the overhead costs of managing technology in business.

Microsoft Copilot

So, what exactly is Microsoft Copilot? In essence, Copilot is a device provisioning service that makes deploying and configuring new devices in the workplace seamless and efficient. Gone are the days of labor-intensive setups; Copilot allows businesses to automate the entire process of getting new devices operational, saving both time and IT resources. For small businesses that often lack a dedicated IT team, this can be transformative. By accelerating setup processes, Copilot minimizes downtime, ensures consistent device configurations, and lets employees dive straight into their work with a fully personalized setup.

For small business owners, the benefits of Copilot are both practical and profound. Increased productivity is at the heart of what Copilot offers: devices are ready to use with minimal fuss, enabling employees to get up to speed without a hitch. Consistent configurations across devices reduce user errors and support calls, while a seamless user experience improves employee satisfaction—a major plus in today’s competitive job market.

In addition to improving productivity, Copilot simplifies IT management. By automating device provisioning and configuration, it eases the burden on small IT teams, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine setups. Copilot’s built-in security features also help protect sensitive data, and the platform is designed to scale with your business, handling device deployments as you grow. For small businesses on tight budgets, the reduction in labor costs from Copilot’s efficient setup and the ability to reallocate IT resources to critical business needs represent significant cost savings.

David Dennis

On November 7, the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a workshop featuring David Dennis, Microsoft’s Principal Program Manager, to delve into how AI and tools like Copilot can help small businesses approach Keynes’s ideal of a reduced workweek. David’s experience spans both technological innovation and environmental entrepreneurship; he co-founded Ventana Surfboards & Supplies, a company rooted in sustainable practices, and has driven transformative projects at Microsoft, including innovations in Outlook. His talk will explore AI’s potential not just to increase productivity, but to reshape work itself, moving us closer to a world where we can work smarter, not harder.

Register to Attend

Join us to explore these possibilities with insights from an industry expert, lunch provided by Togo’s, and an opportunity to network with local business owners. The event promises to be more than a mere introduction to Microsoft Copilot; it’s a look into how AI can fundamentally reshape our work lives, helping us reclaim time for what matters most. In a world of endless productivity, AI might just be the tool that allows us to finally fulfill Keynes’s dream of a shorter workweek.