> MEET THE NEW DIGITAL WORKFORCE From Tools to Teammates


TODAY: AI TOOLS Content & Communications Tools: • ChatGPT •


Google Gemini


• Claude Use for: • Social media posts • Marketing emails • Product descriptions •


Business Analysis Tools: • ChatGPT Advanced Data Analysis •


Google Gemini Customer communications


Training & Knowledge Tools: • Google NotebookLM Use for: •


Employee onboarding


• Shop policy Q&A •


Training manuals • Audio training content


Product Photography Tools: • ChatGPT Image Generation •


Adobe Firefly


• Canva AI Use for: • Product photos • Marketing graphics •


• Microsoft Copilot Use for: • Sales reports • Best-seller analysis • Inventory trends •


fail to arrive, the florist receives suggested alternatives before the shortage occurs. The system could even generate customer communications and visual examples of proposed substitutions. The technology is in its early stages,


and many of these capabilities are still developing. But the direction is becom- ing clearer, Zetzsche says. AI is evolving from an individual productivity tool into a network of connected systems.


Demand forecasting


Meeting Assistants Tools: • Otter.ai • •


Fireflies.ai Fathom


Use for: • Wedding consultations • • •


Client meetings


Automatic summaries Action-item tracking


Custom AI Assistants Tools: • ChatGPT Custom GPTs •


Gemini Gems


Use for: •


Seasonal promotions Reusable workflows


• Business-specific instructions •


Consistent responses • Team knowledge sharing


EMERGING: AI TEAMMATES Context-Aware AI AI connected to your business systems. Can access: • Inventory • Pricing • Recipes • Customer history • Ordering systems Can help: • Recommend substitutions • Answer customer questions • Suggest purchases •


Improve forecasting


ON THE HORIZON: CONNECTED AI NETWORKS Florist  Wholesaler  Importer  Grower Potential benefits: • Early shortage warnings • Weather-disruption alerts • •


Automated substitutions Real-time availability updates 32 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | July/August 2026 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG


AI Agents Digital assistants that complete multiple tasks toward a goal. Examples: • Organize wedding consultations • Update inventory records • Analyze sales trends • Recommend purchases • Coordinate marketing activities


Prepare for What’s Next The future of AI in floristry may arrive faster than many expect, and experts say preparation starts with understanding your business. Identify recurring work- flows. Document processes. Organize your data. Experiment with one task at a time. (See the sidebar “How to Start Using AI.”) Many AI platforms also allow users


to save custom workflows. ChatGPT offers custom GPTs (Generative Pre- trained Transformers), personalized versions of ChatGPT that perform specific tasks. Similarly, Gemini offers Gems. These tools can preserve instruc- tions, formatting preferences and business rules, allowing florists to reuse successful workflows instead of starting over each time. For instance, rather than give an AI tool the same instructions every month to forecast buying, a florist could set up a Custom ChatGPT that uses the same set of instructions for forecasting on different inputs. The florists who embrace AI today


may be better positioned for the changes ahead, Tony Guerrie says. “Learning how to adopt AI is going to be one of the differentiators — if not the key one — in terms of level of success.” While nobody knows exactly what


the floral industry will look like five years from now, one thing seems increasingly likely: AI won’t just be another software tool. It may become part of the infra- structure that connects the entire floral ecosystem.


Claire Sykes is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.


• Improved demand forecasting • Faster supply-chain communication


Amanda Jedlinsky is the senior director of content and communications for the Society of American Florists and the editor in chief of Floral Management.


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