Neesh. AI, a Redmond tech company, wants to show businesses and nonprofits how to use artificial intelligence to free workers to do work that is meaningful and uniquely human.

That was the case with Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity, which recently hired the company to train staff on how to incorporate artificial intelligence and Chat GPT, a generative AI tool that assists with content creation and workflow optimization, into everyday operations, said Scott Nordquist, vice president of resource development at Habitat for Humanity.

“Like other nonprofits in this sector, we’re working with limited resources and we’re trying to be as efficient as possible in all of our operations,” Nordquist said. “We had staff using AI on their own, and our CEO took the lead and said we really should get more training to go to the next level.”

For Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity, Neesh. AI founders Teresa and Justin Coats led a workshop on what and how AI could make routine work easier and more efficient. It was learning how to use artificial intelligence to find information in large documents, like building codes and legal documents, Nordquist said. The training also stressed that humans are still needed in these operations, he said.

“Neesh. AI taught us the 80/20 rule, and to not trust it to do 100% of the writing,” Nordquist said. “You need to maintain the human element for the final tweaks and to put your own thoughts into the work product.

“It’s really about learning how to use the internet. It saves time for certain tasks.”

Tech businesses like Neesh. AI are a growing segment of the Central Oregon economy. It’s also a sector that is courted by groups like the Economic Development for Central Oregon.

In 2019, there were 2,700 people employed in high tech in Central Oregon, according to Oregon Employment Department data. At the time the annual wage was $78,000 in a variety of technology businesses that range from computer system designs to pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing.

By comparison, in 2023 there were more than 4,000 people employed in the high tech fields in Central Oregon, representing about 6% of the region’s overall economy.

In its second year, Neesh. AI recently was honored by the Redmond Chamber of Commerce as the “New Business or Product of the Year” for its originality, said Eric Sande, chamber CEO.

“Neesh. AI embodies all of the criteria and was selected as our New Business for 2024,” Sande said.

How it all started

A serial entrepreneur, Justin Coats saw that technological platforms like ChatGPT were being used to create parodies of songs and realized businesses could benefit from the technology. Riffing off the word niche, Justin and Teresa Coats came up with Neesh. AI.

“It’s such a powerful tool trained in trillions of data points,” Justin Coats said. “It allows me to have access to the world’s knowledge. Why wouldn’t I use it for something generic and basic and teach it to have an impact on my life, which then frees me up to do things I enjoy.”

Before starting Neesh. AI, the couple had developed a business model that helped small businesses sell their products on Amazon. They sold that company in 2022 and looked around for something new.

“This is my husband’s vision,” Teresa Coats said. “He’s a true entrepreneur and a mechanic by nature. We have three pillars to our business: We teach businesses how to leverage AI, help integrate AI into their workflows and create custom AI solutions tailored to their needs.”

About 100 businesses near and far have hired Neesh. AI. At one nonprofit, they were able to turn four months of work into 1.5 hours worth of work, Teresa Coats said.

That’s because the tech company shows a nonprofit or business how to customize ChatGPT to replicate the tone of the writer, adapt to the style and gather background material pertinent to the business or nonprofit.

“The key is you train ChatGPT to be your writing partner, you teach it how to write and support you,” she said. “By making AI more accessible and practical for small and midsized businesses, we are helping Central Oregon companies remain competitive in an increasingly digital economy.”