73: Using AI at Work for Small Business Adoption and Team Alignment with Maria Elena Duron

Using AI at Work: AI in the Workplace & Generative AI for Business Leaders

Chris Daigle sits down with Maria Elena Duron, fractional Chief AI Officer and marketing strategist, to explore how small and mid-sized businesses can successfully adopt AI without overwhelming their teams. Maria shares her experience helping businesses bridge the gap between awareness and real application — from her years training entrepreneurs on Google tools to guiding leaders through AI adoption today.
You’ll hear how she helps companies build AI councils, manage shadow AI risks, and develop AI use policies that protect both data and teams. Maria explains why change management is central to AI success, how to identify the “low-hanging fruit” for measurable results, and why executives must align goals with realistic timelines. With practical insights on governance, productivity vs. efficiency, and building custom role copilots with tools like Notebook LM and GPTs, this episode is a roadmap for leaders navigating AI adoption.
🔎 Find Out More About Maria Elena Duron
Instagram: Marketing Coach Maria ➡ https://www.instagram.com/marketingcoachmaria
Website: SmartBrandSystem.com ➡ https://smartbrandsystem.com
🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode
ChatGPT ➡ https://openai.com/chatgpt
Notebook LM ➡ https://notebooklm.google
📌 Chapters
00:00 – Introduction to Maria Elena Duron
03:00 – Lessons from Early Tech Shifts: Internet, Social Media, and AI
05:56 – Helping Small Businesses Understand Google and Visibility
08:31 – AI Adoption Parallels: Google Search vs. Generative AI
11:04 – Starting with Leadership: Goals, Fears, and Change Management
12:31 – Overcoming Team Fear and Shiny Object Syndrome
13:59 – Positioning AI as Investment in People
14:57 – Interviewing Teams and Vendors to Build Roadmap Reports
21:00 – Who Owns AI in a Company? Building AI Councils
24:07 – Establishing AI Use and Tool Policies for Security
26:28 – Setting Priorities and Roadmaps with Leadership
31:03 – Where to Start: Pilots and Low-Hanging Fruit
32:19 – Building Role Copilots with Custom GPTs and Notebook LM
34:53 – Using Notebook LM for Knowledge Retrieval and Productivity
40:19 – Defining Success: Efficiency vs. Productivity vs. Effectiveness
42:09 – Managing Expectations and Avoiding Unrealistic Timelines
44:22 – Webinar Wednesdays and Community Training
Episode tags:
AI in small business, AI in the workplace, AI adoption strategies, Change management and AI, Workplace AI governance, Non-technical AI leadership, AI use policies, AI productivity tools, Real-world AI applications, Executive AI training, AI transformation stories, AI councils in business