The Future is Here
From E-Commerce Skepticism to AI Transformation
In 1997, I was invited to be a guest speaker at a local heavy equipment dealers association dinner at Tuscany in Salt Lake City. The dinner was fantastic, but then it was my turn to take the stage and talk about the changing landscape of this new thing called the “Internet.” I explained how e-commerce would disrupt everything, including their industry. I even predicted that the day would come when anyone could buy heavy equipment online.
Let’s just say I was met with skepticism—and a fair amount of laughter. They insisted it would never happen. Well, fast forward to today, and here is the mini excavator I just ordered completely online. And, of course, anyone can now buy heavy equipment online with just a few clicks. If only I could get that same group of business owners in front of me now!
I share this story because I see a similar pattern today. If I tell you that AI will transform the entire economic landscape—even replacing many jobs—I know some of you might be ready to laugh me off the stage again. But beware, times are changing faster than ever, and the pace of innovation is accelerating. My goal with this column is to keep you informed and provide actionable AI tips and solutions that you can implement in your business right away.
Today, I am excited to share something special. I have been working with NACVA to curate the best tools, resources, and prompts to help you integrate AI into your practice. It is a free, searchable database called AI Data University, and it is designed to save you time by giving you instant access to the best AI resources; no need to sift through mounds of data. You can find it here: https://aidatauniversity.com.
What is even better? You can contribute your own resources to the database, allowing every member of the community to benefit from your expertise. Our hope is that this becomes the go-to collective knowledge source for the business valuation and forensic accounting community.
I will be giving a live demo of the platform at NACVA’s AI launch party on April 30, 2025, but the database is ready to use right now. Take a moment to explore over 500 AI resources and see how they can help you stay ahead in this rapidly evolving landscape.
Colin Brown is the founder and CTO for Syncnet.com and has been working with NACVA since 1996.
Mr. Brown can be contacted by e-mail to cto@syncnet.com.
