Recap:

Lunch & Learn – The Safe & Smart Way Businesses Are Using AI

Hosted August 6, 2025 | Facilitator: Meg Thompson, Owner of Salt Peak

On August 6, Hudson Valley Women in Business hosted our monthly Lunch & Learn featuring Meg Thompson, technology consultant and founder of Salt Peak. In this session, The Safe & Smart Way Businesses Are Using AI, Meg helped demystify how artificial intelligence is showing up in today’s business world—and how leaders can use it responsibly.

Click here to watch the recorded Zoom meeting!

AI Trends and Business Applications

Meg explained how AI is no longer just for big tech companies. She highlighted the rapid growth of large language models (LLMs), with 25% of companies already using generative AI, and that number is expected to double within two years, comparing it to the early adoption of email. She also clarified the difference between agentic AI (task-oriented bots) and generative AI (creativity tools).

Opportunities and Challenges

Meg shared that while many fear AI will replace jobs, in reality, it’s more about automating repetitive tasks and freeing people to focus on higher-level work. Her advice? Start small. Experiment with prompts, explore what LLMs can and can’t do, and use them as a tool for efficiency and growth.

Data Privacy and Governance

An important theme was AI governance and data protection. Meg cautioned against putting sensitive information into public models that may train on your data. Instead, she encouraged creating clear internal business rules and considering private AI solutions (like Devs.ai) or business licenses with stronger data security protections.

Practical Uses: Pricing and Beyond

She also touched on how AI can support pricing strategies, whether through public tools that track market data or private models customized with a business’s own historical information.

We are so grateful to Meg Thompson of Salt Peak for leading this important conversation with clarity and honesty.

Our Lunch & Learn series happens on the first Wednesday of every month at 1 PM, and they are free and open to the public. Speakers are always drawn from our Invested Members, one of the many benefits of joining at that level.

Next month, we’ll welcome Robin Fischman for a session on LinkedIn strategies to stand out and grow your business.

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