Artificial Intelligence – Friend or Foe?

By Andrew Carr, Operations Director, ETC Finance

There is a huge amount of hype across society about the impact of artificial intelligence, and opinions are increasingly polarised.

From our perspective at ETC, it’s important to step back from the noise and look at where AI genuinely adds value, particularly within hospitality businesses and the outsourced support that sits behind them.

We use AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot to support research, sense-check ideas, improve efficiency, and remove some of the day-to-day administrative work that underpins what we do. The aim is not to replace people, but to free teams up to focus on higher-value work and better client outcomes.

AI is also proving useful when building and maintaining business infrastructure, for example, updating job descriptions, reviewing policies, and supporting compliance work. These tasks still require time and judgement, but AI allows that time to be spent reviewing, improving, and applying professional expertise rather than starting from a blank page.

Roles will continue to evolve, just as they always have. Some tasks will change or disappear, while new ones will emerge. The key is ensuring that responsibility, judgement and accountability remain firmly with people, not technology.

The real art is balance. Embracing new tools and opportunities for efficiency, while maintaining a healthy scepticism and continuing to challenge what we are presented with. AI should support professional judgement, not replace it.

Finally, in hospitality especially, people still matter. Guests don’t choose restaurants, pubs or leisure venues to interact with systems, they choose them for service, experience and human connection. Used well, technology can support teams behind the scenes, giving them more time to focus on clients, customers and service excellence. That’s where its real value lies.

If you want to chat more, contact us at: lana@etcfinance.co.uk