By Andy Furman
NKyTribune staff writer
It took three continents for Gaby Batshoun to settle in Newport.
“I was born in Jordan (Asia); grew up in Morocco (Africa); then moved to America (North America),” he told a stunned audience at the Covington Rotary Club’s weekly Radisson Hotel lunch meeting.
Today, Batshoun owns and operates Global Business Solutions in Newport. It was no accident.
“My father worked his way up from a mechanic to owning a factory.I came from a family of entrepreneurs. It was only natural I would own and operate my own business,” he said.
Founded in 1995, Global Business Solutions claims to be the region’s only fully integrated technology solutions provider.
“We help clients see the big technology picture so they can make strategic decisions that save time, money and effort with better results,” he said. “We’re passionate about changing the way you experience technology. We combine outside-the-box thinking with integrated expertise that elevates your organization and makes technology work for you.”
Those were strong words echoed by Batshoun who started a dual bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering technology and electronics engineering technology at Northern Kentucky University.
“Those programs were new at NKU,” he said, “and they gave me the experience in automation, robotics, and manufacturing. In the computer lab, I learned about information technology. I was able to help with their IT network infrastructure and network upgrades.”
Now, it was time to introduce AI to the conversation.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is technology that can generate content, and answer questions, or assist with tasks by learning patterns in data. It helps with things like writing, summarizing, designing, organizing information,” he said.
So, what is the difference between automation and AI?
“Automation follows rules — If this happens, then do that,” he said. “AI responds to prompts and can adapt its answers – even in open-ended or creative situations.”
Batshoun described ML, Generative AI, and Prompts:
ML, Machine Learning: “A type of AI that improves over time by learning from data. It’s how AI gets better the more it’s used,” he said.
Generative AI: “AI that creates new content—like writing, images, or audio. Tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E fall in this category.”
Prompts: “A prompt is the question or instruction you give an AI tool,” he said. “Clear, specific prompts usually getter better results. An example, ‘give me three ideas for promoting a local coffee shop on social media.’”
And Batshoun even went so far as to list several starter tools and use cases for the assembled group:
Chat GPT
• A conversational assistant that can help you brainstorm, write, edit, and summarize. Use it to draft emails, create social media captions, or organize ideas for a blog post
Grammarly GO
• An AI writing assistant that helps you rewrite sentences, adjust tone, and make writing easier. Great for professional emails, reports, or customer-facing content
Dall-E
• Generates images from text descriptions. Perfect for designing graphics for marketing, slides, or concept mockups – no design background needed
Otter.ai
• Automatically records and transcribes meetings. Helpful for note-taking, follow-ups, or sharing recaps with your team
Tome
• An AI-powered storytelling tool that creates visual slide presentations from text prompts. Used for quick pitch decks, project overviews,
or client updates
As for prompting basics, Batshoun had tips:
• Be specific: Include the format, tone, or outcome you want
• Give context: Let it know who the audience is or what you’re trying to achieve
• Iterate: Try follow-up prompts if the first result isn’t quite right
“When you’re exploring AI tools,” he warned, “it’s important to use them responsibly and with basic cybersecurity awareness.
“Don’t share sensitive data; treat AI like a co-worker, not a system of record; check the privacy policy of any tool you try, are some of the AI security basics.”
And always be cautious of unsolicited emails offering new AI tools or features — verify the sender and link first, he added.
But Gaby Batshoun wasn’t at all shy to tell the Rotarians, “You must take risks to be in business. Never be afraid of failing. Try new things, and if they don’t work out, learn from them and move along.
“Don’t be afraid to take advantage of opportunities in front of you. GanyYou never know where it could lead.”
He certainly did.