Michelle Runge of AI Edge Consulting Recently Featured on Close Up Radio

HERMOSA BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, December 18, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Like it or not, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. Voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, chatbots, and countless devices and apps we use daily. Everyone is talking about how the age of machines will change the world. In the modern, highly competitive business landscape, while some business owners are excitedly exploring opportunities with AI, many others are worried about eliminating employees because they believe AI is about to take over everyone's jobs. But is AI really meant to replace us?

Michelle Runge is a CPD-accredited Certified AI Consultant and the founder of AI Edge Consulting. She is also the author of The Human-AI Alliance: Empower Your Business, Amplify Your Value, available free on her website.

The truth is, Michelle assures us, AI is here to make life easier for all of us. For business owners, it can optimize performance and help organizations achieve greater productivity and profitability. Through her unique consulting work, Michelle has been helping countless small to mid-sized businesses navigate the complexities of the AI world. Under her expert guidance, companies have been reaping the benefits and absolutely thriving. For organizations that haven't yet adopted AI, Michelle cautions that AI is not a passing trend; it's here to stay. Those who fail to integrate AI effectively risk falling behind competitors, leading to increased costs and lower productivity.

The fear of AI often comes from a lack of understanding of how it actually works. With all the hype, misconceptions, and science-fiction movies like The Terminator, it's no wonder people feel considerable stress and mixed feelings. By understanding AI's capabilities and limitations, business owners can embrace it as a powerful tool for progress and innovation, poised to revolutionize how we live and work.

Michelle wants business owners to know that AI is the most powerful tool they can have to grow their business. Think of it not as your enemy, she says, but as your unique superpower.

For example, AI can accomplish tasks in a fraction of the time it would take a human and can superbly automate your most tedious, repetitive tasks. Think of AI as your loyal assistant. One that never gets tired, takes lunch breaks, or clocks out at 6 o'clock on the dot. Dread doing your bookkeeping? AI's got it, which means no more long hours updating spreadsheets. While you're on Zoom or at an important lunch meeting with clients, AI can take your calls and even filter out spam for you. This way, you can stay focused on networking and fueling your creative side.

However, implementing AI is not a quick one-two-three cookie-cutter process. You need an AI business strategy, and that's where Michelle comes in. When working with her, Michelle clarifies that to maximize AI's benefits, a business must have a strategic plan and be clear about how it wants AI to function for its specific needs. In other words, what are the organization's priorities, and what is the end goal?

Implementing AI presents challenges, so businesses must consider key factors when preparing for integration to ensure it delivers tangible benefits. Once you've decided to implement AI, it's essential to understand that it requires access to high-quality, clean, structured, and connected data to function effectively. AI "learns" from this information, and if the data it's trained on is inaccurate, it will fail to deliver the desired results. Working with an expert like Michelle every step of the way ensures the work is appropriate, cost-effective, and no stone is left unturned.

Michelle knows the crucial element for business success is integrating AI with a people-centric approach that preserves human creativity and ingenuity. This is the foundation of her "Human-AI Alliance" philosophy: AI works best when it truly serves, rather than replaces, people. The human touch is always needed.

"The businesses that thrive won't be the ones that replace their people with AI, they'll be the ones that empower their people with AI," says Runge.

The key is to treat AI as a strategic initiative that can enhance every part of your business, but it doesn't have to happen overnight. Start small by enhancing one task or process, and once that initiative is successful, build from there. By doing so, you transform AI from a risky unknown into a powerful engine that frees you and your employees from tedious, repetitive tasks. That reclaimed time can be used to focus on more meaningful work.

For those ready to dive deeper into AI implementation, Michelle offers multiple resources. Her Human-AI Business Acceleration Blueprint™ online course provides a comprehensive, step-by-step framework for small businesses and solopreneurs beginning their AI journey. She has also developed the Customer Avatar Blueprint. This AI-powered tool generates comprehensive customer persona reports, also known as avatars, complete with detailed psychographic profiles, pain points, messaging strategies, ready-to-use content hooks, and SEO keywords. It gives business owners a complete strategic foundation for understanding and reaching their ideal clients.

Michelle is excited to discuss her Human-AI Alliance approach and her highly informative book during her upcoming interview. She emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to AI adoption, ensuring that technological advancements are leveraged responsibly and ethically.

Michelle emphasizes that every person and business can benefit from AI when used responsibly and effectively. Having trained over 500 professionals, her work spans across industries—from her featured training at Singapore Airlines' 2025 AI Symposium to her work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization, as well as small businesses and solopreneurs across various sectors.

She also emphasizes that AI shouldn't be used solely by the C-suite but by the broader workforce; otherwise, it won't gain traction across the organization. It's critical that the entire workforce understands how to use AI tools, but more importantly, what leadership's vision is for AI. If you are implementing automation and AI to enhance your teams, make sure you tell them that's your plan. The headlines have created a universal fear that AI will eliminate jobs, so make your intentions clear.

Beyond the business world, AI is a tool that can potentially help cure diseases, give us insight to better understand the impact of climate change, and assist those struggling with learning disabilities. Its potential is limitless, and we are on the cusp of tackling society's most complex problems in ways that could transform every facet of human life.

Recognized for her innovative approach, Michelle values integrity. Every project she takes on is done with an emphasis on ethics, and her passion is also to stir awareness. Because if we continue to fear AI, we will get lost in misconceptions and not advance as quickly as we should.

For those who know how to make AI work for them, they will be the ones at the forefront of innovation that drives profitability.

Michelle knows AI will enable us to do things we have never done before, helping us live better, healthier lives. The possibilities are endless when artificial intelligence and humans collaborate to create a better world for us all.

Close Up Radio recently featured Michelle Runge in an interview with Jim Masters on Friday December 12th at 12pm EST

Listen to the Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-up-radio-spotlights-michelle-runge-of-ai-edge/id1785721253?i=1000741128137
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-close-up-radio-242020413/episode/close-up-radio-spotlights-michelle-runge-312500656/
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Ql2xRZKlY4VRnrOCscKBI

For more information, please visit https://aiedgeconsult.com/

Written By: Beatrice Maria Centeno

Lou Ceparano
Close Up Television & Radio
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