Last month I described AI as a digital pocket-knife. This month we're sharpening a new blade: the camera. Specifically, the ability to point your phone at something and have an AI tell you exactly what it is — and what to do about it.
Start with Google Lens
It's built into most Android phones and available on iPhone via the Google app. Free, fast, and works on almost anything you point it at — plants, insects, machinery, documents, barcodes. The identification happens in seconds.
The practical value for a business owner isn't just identifying plants or pests. It's the same principle applied to anything visual you encounter in your operation — a machinery part you need to source, a material you need to match, a document in a language you can't read, a label you need to decode. Point, shoot, know.
When You Want More Than Just an ID
Google Lens is good for quick identification. But when you want to go further — to understand what's wrong and what to actually do about it — that's where taking a photo into an AI chat tool comes in.
Take a photo of whatever you're looking at, drop it into an AI chat like Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini, describe the issue in plain language, and mention relevant context about your situation. The response goes well beyond what a search engine gives you.
The difference is that a search returns general articles written for a global audience. An AI gives you a diagnosis based on what you show it and what you tell it. You're having a conversation with something that can see what you're looking at.
Prompt of the Month: The Visual Diagnostic
Try this in any AI chat app — Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini. Take a photo of whatever you're trying to identify or understand, attach it to the message, then type:
[describe the problem or question]. I'm based in New Zealand. Can you tell
me what's going on, what's causing it, and give me a specific action plan?"
Why it works: you're giving the AI three things it needs — a visual, a symptom, and context. That combination gets you something specific and actionable rather than generic advice that could apply anywhere in the world.
Quick Tip
Open Google Lens and take a slow walk around your workplace or property this week. Point it at anything you've ever wondered about — a component, a material, a piece of equipment you've inherited. You don't need to know what you're looking at before you point the camera. That's the whole point.
Next month: how owner-operators are clearing their admin desk before the day even starts.