Accountability and AI

We Are Still the CEO

You know the feeling.

You’re on hold. Again.

An automated voice cheerfully reminds you, “Your call is important to us,” while you stare at your phone in disbelief. You’ve already explained the issue. You’ve pressed every button. You’ve been transferred more than once.

This is call number 26.

And still, no one has taken ownership.

I read an article by Robert Glazer about this exact experience. Twenty-six phone calls, four missed deliveries, and finally, one human being who stepped up and said, “I’ve got this.”

Ownership.

It’s a word we use often.

But we rarely feel its absence until we’re stuck in it.

Twenty-six calls wasn’t a technology failure.

It was a human one.

The AI Question We’re All Asking

Here at M.J. Design, we’ve been learning more about AI, trying to understand it, keep up with it, and stay ahead of how it may impact our industry.

There are conversations about AI-powered robots eventually working in the field to plant and prune trees, deliver materials, maybe even design.

Part of me wants to say, “Don’t worry. We’re far from that.”

But the truth? It’s closer than we think.

And we’re all asking the same question:

How will this impact us?

While we are landscaping leaders, we are far from leaders in the AI world. So this year, our team has been digging into it.

If we had to describe AI in one word… we couldn’t.

It’s intriguing.

Helpful.

Scary.

Brilliant.

And sometimes… not so brilliant.

One thing is certain: it’s evolving quickly. The possibilities feel endless.

So What Does This Have to Do With 26 Phone Calls?

It comes down to accountability.

To personability.

To who we are at our core.

Our CEO, Molly, returned from her peer group last month with pages of notes of insights, strategies, and ideas. The kind of information that can overwhelm even the sharpest mind.

AI could have organized it in seconds.

But organization isn’t ownership.

Someone still has to read it.

Interpret it.

Decide what matters.

And take responsibility for the outcome.

We’ve explored the growing world of AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and more). The list expands faster than most of us can keep up.

And while I want to understand every platform, I keep coming back to one question:

What happens when they fail?

A Little Honesty

I’ll be transparent.

I use ChatGPT to help draft every blog. I’ll probably ask it to review this one too.

It’s like having an English teacher on demand to help refine grammar, tighten sentences, and improve clarity in seconds.

That’s powerful.

But it’s still just a tool.

What AI Can’t Do

AI can clean up grammar.

It can organize thoughts.

It can generate ideas.

But it cannot sit across from a homeowner and feel the hesitation when they say,“We’ve never invested in our yard before.”

It cannot hear the pride in someone’s voice when they talk about hosting their first family gathering, in their new outdoor living space.

It cannot take ownership when a plant doesn’t thrive.

Or when a delivery is delayed.

Or when expectations aren’t met.

It cannot make the 27th phone call.

We can.

AI can generate a planting plan in seconds.

But it doesn’t walk the property.

It doesn’t feel the soil.

It doesn’t notice how the light shifts at 5:30 p.m.

It doesn’t come back next season to see what took root.

Landscaping is long-term.

Accountability is long-term.

AI is a tool.

We are still the stewards.

Robert didn’t need better automation.

He needed one human to say:

“I’ve got this.”

That’s what accountability feels like.

It’s not efficiency.

It’s ownership.

At M.J. Design, we are learning AI.

We are using it.

We are experimenting with it.

But we are not outsourcing responsibility to it.

If AI organizes our notes, we still read them.

If AI drafts a proposal, we still refine it.

If AI helps write a blog, we still stand behind every word.

Because our name is on it.

The future may include robots that prune trees and engines that write blogs.

But no matter how advanced technology becomes, someone still has to answer the call.

Someone still has to fix what didn’t work.

Someone still has to care.

At M.J. Design, we plan to be that someone.

AI is an assistant.

But we are still the CEO.