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IN THE PRESS
Businesses Are Making a Costly AI Mistake, and It Isn't What You Think
Yahoo! Finance
July 23, 2026 | 4 min read
NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 -- Artificial intelligence is one of the most powerful business tools ever created. Yet as companies race to integrate AI into nearly every aspect of their operations, many are making the same costly mistake: replacing human expertise and critical thinking with technology instead of using technology to strengthen them.
Kristen Kukta, founder and CEO of Nashville-based advertising and public relations firm Unblurred Media, says the biggest threat isn't AI itself. It's the growing number of businesses that assume AI-generated information is accurate simply because it sounds convincing.
"The most dangerous thing about AI isn't that it gets something wrong. It's that it can sound so confident that people stop questioning the answer," said Kukta. "AI is one of the most powerful business tools ever created, but it's still a tool. It should support human expertise and critical thinking, not replace them."
"Many people believe AI searches the entire internet, compares every source, separates fact from fiction and always delivers the right answer. It doesn't," Kukta continued. "AI analyzes enormous amounts of information and recognizes patterns to generate responses, but it doesn't think like a human, independently verify every fact or understand the unique context behind your business. That's why human expertise still matters, especially when it comes to a business's marketing needs."
As AI adoption accelerates, businesses are being flooded with promises that technology can replace marketing teams, customer service departments and even strategic decision making. Kukta says the hype is creating unrealistic expectations about both results and cost, leading many business owners to believe effective marketing should now be inexpensive simply because AI is involved.
"AI can make certain tasks faster, but it does not eliminate the need for a realistic marketing budget," Kukta said. "Your competitors are still investing in advertising, building their brands and competing for the same customers. AI improves efficiency, but it doesn't replace strategy, testing, media buying or experience. Businesses that chase cheap marketing because AI is involved often spend less upfront only to waste far more on solutions that were never capable of delivering the results they were promised."
The marketing industry is now seeing that same misconception play out in search engine marketing.
"Ten years ago, agencies promised businesses immediate Page One rankings on Google. Today, many are making the same promise about appearing in ChatGPT and other AI platforms," Kukta said. "But SEO has never produced overnight results, and AEO doesn't either. Both require time, authority, credible content and a strong digital presence. AEO should be viewed as one component of a long-term digital strategy, not as a replacement for paid advertising, lead generation or human sales conversations."
Automation presents similar challenges. While AI can improve efficiency and streamline repetitive tasks, it cannot replace trust, empathy or the relationships that drive business growth.
According to PwC's 2025 Customer Experience Survey, 86% of consumers say human interaction remains important to their experience with a brand. Research from InsideSales found businesses are more than eight times more likely to qualify a lead when responding within the first five minutes. Automation can provide that immediate acknowledgment, but it should never replace the conversation.
"Automation has an important place, but it should not become your front desk, your sales team or the person responsible for building trust," Kukta said. "The goal isn't to replace people. It's to help your team respond faster, stay organized and spend more time doing what technology can't: building relationships, answering questions and earning trust."
As businesses continue investing in artificial intelligence, Kukta encourages business owners to separate the hype from reality before making decisions that affect their marketing, customer relationships and long-term growth.
"Businesses shouldn't be asking how AI can replace people," Kukta said. "They should be asking how AI can make good people even better. That's where the real competitive advantage is. AI doesn't replace expertise. It amplifies it."
THE HITSTREAK PODCAST
EPISODE 205 : LAUNCH OF POTSIES & THE WORLD OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Bold Journey: Meet Kristen Kukta
Bold Journey
August 4, 2026 | 5 min read
NASHVILLE, TN August 4, 2026 -- Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristen Kukta. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Kristen, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?got your work ethic from?
My work ethic comes from my father. He built Great Western Reserve Corporation from the ground up, not because success was handed to him, but because he had the courage, discipline and resilience to create something of his own. Watching him build a business from nothing showed me that hard work is more than putting in long hours. It is believing in what you are building, taking responsibility for the outcome and continuing to show up when quitting would be easier.
He also taught me that your reputation is everything. Your word has to mean something. Don’t say you can do something if you can’t, don’t make promises you won’t keep and don’t lie. It really is that simple. It is not hard to be a decent human being, and integrity should never be treated like an extra. Work ethic and integrity are what allow people to build something of their own, earn a promotion, climb within a company and create opportunities that did not exist before. Society is lacking both right now, which is exactly why they matter more than ever.
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Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I call myself a serial entrepreneur, which is really just a professional way of saying I see a problem, become completely convinced I can solve it and somehow end up starting another business.
I am the founder and CEO of Unblurred Media LLC, a Nashville based marketing, digital advertising and public relations firm. I have spent 20+ years in this industry, and I still love what I do because no two businesses are exactly alike. Behind every company is someone who took a risk, believed in an idea and worked incredibly hard to build something. Helping those people become more visible, reach the right audience and grow what they created is what continues to excite me.
I founded Unblurred Media LLC because I knew businesses deserved more than generic strategies, confusing reports and agencies that tell clients what they want to hear. Marketing should not be smoke and mirrors. It should make sense, have a purpose and support the actual goals of the business.
We work across marketing strategy, digital advertising, public relations, website design, Amazon storefront setup and management, CRM systems and marketing automation. But our real job is to understand the entire business, identify what is preventing growth and build a strategy around the company, its audience and the opportunities in front of it.
I understand our clients because I am not only advising business owners. I am one. I know what it feels like to invest your own money, take a risk without any guarantee it will work and carry the responsibility for every decision. In addition to Unblurred Media LLC, I have built multiple Amazon stores and created POTSies, the first ever supplement developed specifically for people with POTS, or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.
I developed POTS in 2016, the same year I started my own agency. Trust me, I still don’t know how I did it, but apparently my body and my career decided to launch major life changes at the exact same time.
I went from running six or seven miles a day to passing out while taking out the trash. I was scared, confused and trying to understand a condition that many people, including some medical professionals, knew very little about. Like so many people living with invisible illnesses, I knew something was physically wrong while being told it was anxiety or all in my head.
POTS is a debilitating disorder of the autonomic nervous system, not simply feeling dizzy when you stand up. Today, as more people are diagnosed, the autonomic dysfunction experienced by POTS patients is being compared to the autonomic dysfunction Parkinson’s patients can experience. The conditions are entirely different, but the physical disruption can look remarkably similar, including blood pressure dropping and heart rate increasing when someone stands. It shows how serious autonomic dysfunction is and how dramatically it can affect the basic functions the body is supposed to control automatically.
I developed POTSies because I never wanted another person to feel the way I did when I was first diagnosed. After years of visiting medical and holistic doctors, researching the condition and learning through trial and error what helped me function, I knew there had to be a better way to support people living with POTS. Through years of research, trial and error, and collaboration with medical professionals, I created the first supplement developed specifically for people with POTS. Every ingredient was selected with intention to provide clean, science backed support rooted in both clinical insight and real world experience. This was never a generic electrolyte product with a different label. It was the product I wished had existed when I needed it most.
When I was first diagnosed, I called POTS “fainting goat syndrome” because I would stand up and fall over. Clever, right? Nope, just reality. From there, the marketing pretty much wrote itself.
POTSies was never created simply to sell another supplement. It was created to help people feel better and regain parts of their lives that POTS had taken from them. What matters most is hearing from someone who finally found what their body needed, or from a mother whose 14 year old daughter could barely get out of bed and was later able to compete in a dance competition. Then I learned that seven girls at that same competition were taking POTSies. Those are the moments that remind me exactly why I created it.
That is what connects POTSies, Unblurred Media LLC and every business I have built. They may look completely different from the outside, but they all started with the same instinct. I saw a real problem, knew people deserved something better and decided to create it. That is what excites me about entrepreneurship. It gives me the opportunity to turn experience, knowledge and determination into something that can grow a business, improve someone’s quality of life or create an opportunity that did not exist before. To me, success is not simply building another company. It is building something that matters.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that have had the greatest impact on my journey are resilience, critical thinking and integrity.
Resilience came first, mostly because life did not give me much of a choice. I started my own agency the same year I developed POTS, which was an interesting way to test how badly I actually wanted to succeed. Building a business is difficult when everything is going right. Building one while your body is doing things you cannot explain forces you to become resourceful very quickly.
I was also fortunate to have Dr. Muldowney, my cardiologist at the Vanderbilt Autonomic Dysfunction Center for more than 10 years, helping me navigate that journey. I learned that resilience is accepting that something is hard and pushing through because you have no other choice. For anyone early in their journey, stop waiting until you feel completely ready, confident or fearless. That day may never come. Start with what you have, solve the next problem in front of you and keep moving.
The second is Critical Thinking. My father always told me there was no such thing as a dumb question, and I clearly took that advice seriously. I have never been someone who accepts an answer simply because it was delivered confidently. I ask questions, look at the full picture and want to understand why something is happening. That has helped me tremendously in marketing, entrepreneurship and even managing my own health. Too many people confuse having access to information with knowing how to use it. Technology can give you data, reports and endless opinions, but it cannot replace judgment. Learn how to research, challenge assumptions and recognize when something does not make sense. The people who can think clearly and solve real problems will always be valuable.
The third is Integrity. My father taught me that your reputation is everything, and your word has to mean something. Do not say you can do something if you cannot. Do not make promises you will not keep. Do not lie. It really is that simple. Integrity is not a branding strategy or something you mention when it is convenient. It is how you operate when telling the truth may cost you money, an opportunity or someone’s approval. Skills can be developed, but trust takes years to build and seconds to destroy.
My advice is to accept and understand that there are no shortcuts. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Hard work still pays off, even if it takes longer than you hoped and looks nothing like the success stories people post online. No one posts the sleepless nights, bad decisions, failed ideas or moments when they seriously questioned what they were doing on Instagram. They post the win. Ask better questions, own your mistakes and learn how to adapt without losing your values. You do not need to know everything when you begin. You need the willingness to learn, the discipline to keep going and enough integrity to build something people can believe in.
And finally, know when you need to be in a different room. My father always told me that if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. Surround yourself with people who challenge you, know things you do not and force you to keep learning.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
The person who has been most influential in helping me overcome challenges and develop the qualities I needed to succeed is my father, John Kukta.
He built his own company from the ground up, and watching that happen gave me an education no classroom could have provided. I saw the uncertainty behind entrepreneurship, the decisions no one else wants to make and the responsibility that comes with knowing other people depend on you. He never made building a company look glamorous. He showed me that success is usually created quietly, through years of consistency, difficult choices and refusing to quit when the easier option would be to walk away.
What influenced me most was not simply that he became successful. It was that he created something where nothing existed before. He taught me to trust my instincts, but also to do the work required to support them. When I later built Unblurred Media LLC, launched Amazon businesses and developed POTSies, I was not following his exact path, but I was carrying the example he gave me. I already understood that no one was coming to build the opportunity for me.
His influence has also shaped how I respond when life does not go according to plan. He taught me that a setback is information, not a final answer. You reassess, make the next decision and keep going. That mindset has carried me through entrepreneurship, chronic illness and every moment when quitting would have been easier.
My father did not give me a roadmap for my life. He gave me the confidence and foundation to create my own. Thanks Dad.❤️
THE HITSTREAK PODCAST
EPISODE 17: UNBLURRING THE MYTHS OF MARKETING
WITH KRISTEN KUKTA
The AI Mirage: Why Replacing Humans is a Costly Corporate Fallacy
NASHVILLE, TN – July 23, 2026 – In the relentless race to integrate artificial intelligence, business leaders are making a fundamental, and potentially ruinous, miscalculation. The prevailing narrative suggests AI is a silver bullet for efficiency, capable of replacing entire departments. The reality, however, is that substituting human expertise with automated systems is not just a strategic error—it's a costly trap baited with the promise of easy savings.
The most significant threat isn't the technology itself, but a widespread misunderstanding of its role. Kristen Kukta, founder and CEO of the advertising and public relations firm Unblurred Media, argues that leaders are becoming dangerously seduced by AI's articulate façade.
"The most dangerous thing about AI isn't that it gets something wrong. It's that it can sound so confident that people stop questioning the answer," said Kukta. This blind faith is leading companies down a path where critical thinking is outsourced and context is ignored, creating an illusion of progress that conceals deep-seated risks.
The Confidence Trap: AI's Plausible but Perilous Answers
The core of the problem lies in a misconception of how generative AI operates. "Many people believe AI searches the entire internet, compares every source, separates fact from fiction and always delivers the right answer. It doesn't," Kukta explained. Instead, AI is a master of pattern recognition, analyzing vast datasets to generate responses that are probable, not necessarily factual. It lacks the human capacity for independent verification, ethical judgment, and an understanding of a specific business's unique context.
This gap between plausible output and verified truth has already led to high-profile failures. In one infamous case, a major consulting firm submitted a government report containing AI-generated fake legal references and court quotes—a stark reminder of the severe consequences that can arise from a lack of diligent human oversight. These incidents of "AI hallucination," where the model fabricates information with complete authority, underscore a critical business imperative: AI-generated content must be treated as a first draft, not a final product.
When this principle is ignored in marketing, the results can be devastating. An AI might generate a compelling ad campaign based on patterns it has learned, but it cannot understand a brand's soul, its long-term strategic goals, or the nuanced emotional triggers of its target audience. Relying on it completely is like handing the keys to a brand's reputation to a brilliant but amoral intern.
Beyond the Budget Buzz: The Myth of Cheap AI-Driven Marketing
The hype around AI has also created dangerous expectations regarding cost. Business owners are being sold a narrative that effective marketing should now be inexpensive simply because AI is involved. This, Kukta warns, is a fallacy that often leads to greater financial waste.
"AI can make certain tasks faster, but it does not eliminate the need for a realistic marketing budget," she stated. "Businesses that chase cheap marketing because AI is involved often spend less upfront only to waste far more on solutions that were never capable of delivering the results they were promised."
This dynamic is now playing out in the world of search. A decade ago, agencies made unrealistic promises of instant Page One rankings on Google. Today, a similar hype cycle is emerging around AI Engine Optimization (AEO), the practice of optimizing content to appear in the answers of platforms like ChatGPT. Kukta draws a direct parallel: "SEO has never produced overnight results, and AEO doesn't either. Both require time, authority, credible content and a strong digital presence."
Industry experts agree, viewing AEO as a long-term play for building brand authority, not a shortcut to bypass paid advertising or human-led sales. It's about ensuring your brand's information is so credible and clear that AI systems confidently cite it. This requires strategic content, robust public relations, and a digital footprint built on trust—investments that go far beyond simply prompting an AI for copy.
The Human Algorithm: Augmentation, Not Automation
If replacement is a fallacy, what is the correct approach? The answer lies in augmentation—using AI to make your best people even better. This human-centric model preserves the irreplaceable elements of business: empathy, trust, and relationships.
Data consistently shows that customers are not ready to abandon human connection. A 2025 Customer Experience Survey from PwC found that a staggering 86% of consumers say human interaction remains important to their brand experience. While efficiency is appreciated, research shows 64% still crave authentic human connection during critical moments. Automation can provide an immediate response—a critical factor, as research from InsideSales found that responding to a lead in the first five minutes makes a business over eight times more likely to qualify it. But that initial automated touchpoint should be a bridge to a human, not a wall.
"Automation has an important place, but it should not become your front desk, your sales team or the person responsible for building trust," Kukta advised. "The goal isn't to replace people. It's to help your team respond faster, stay organized and spend more time doing what technology can't: building relationships, answering questions and earning trust."
Successful companies are operationalizing this philosophy. They use AI to handle routine inquiries, freeing up customer service agents to manage complex, emotionally charged issues where empathy is paramount. Marketing teams use AI to analyze data and generate content ideas, allowing them to focus on creativity, brand strategy, and crafting messages that resonate on a human level.
As leaders navigate the next phase of AI adoption, the most important question is not one of replacement. As Kukta concluded, "Businesses shouldn't be asking how AI can replace people. They should be asking how AI can make good people even better. That's where the real competitive advantage is. AI doesn't replace expertise. It amplifies it."
Canvas Rebel: Meet Kristen Kukta
NASHVILLE, TN – We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristen Kukta. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristen below.
Hi Kristen, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
In 2016, I launched my ad agency, Unblurred Media (www.unblurredmedia.com), and that same year I was diagnosed with POTS, a condition that affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls heart rate, blood flow, and blood pressure. My life went from active and fast-paced to not being able to get out of bed, with symptoms that could change hourly. It was unpredictable and debilitating.
I joke that our spokesperson is a fainting goat. Yes, a goat. Early on, when I didn’t understand what was happening to my body because I looked fine, I told people I had “fainting goat syndrome” just trying to explain it. As ridiculous as it sounds, it’s not far off. With POTS, you don’t have control over how your body responds, so even standing can be unpredictable.
Over the past 10+ years, I’ve worked with both medical and holistic doctors, testing medicines, supplements, sodium levels, and hydration strategies. It was all trial and error, and even today, I still encounter medical professionals who don’t know what POTS is. Most patients are told to significantly increase sodium intake, often in the range of 6,000–12,000 mg daily, but there isn’t a simple or consistent way to do that.
That gap led to the idea for POTSies Supplement. At my lowest, I told myself that if I ever found something that truly helped, I would share it because I never wanted anyone else to feel the way I did. I worked alongside a medical team, including a chemist, pharmacist, and pharmacologist, for over 2 years to create something that combines clinical insight with real-world experience, so people aren’t left guessing and can start taking back their energy and their life.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m Kristen Kukta, 42, and a serial entrepreneur who turns stress hobbies into businesses. I usually joke that I blame it on ADHD and being my father’s daughter, because if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t know anything about business. I truly admire and look up to him, and a lot of how I operate comes from watching him build businesses and solve problems.
I’m the founder of Unblurred Media, a full service advertising agency based in Nashville,TN. We help businesses grow through marketing that is honest, makes sense, and produces results. 2016 was also the same year I was diagnosed with POTS, so I started my ad agency and got diagnosed in the same year… fun timing.
I’m also the founder of POTSies, a clinically formulated supplement designed specifically for people with POTS, built by someone who has lived with the condition for over 10 years. The two businesses are very different, but they represent both sides of who I am. I’m direct, honest, and genuinely care about helping people.
With Unblurred Media, I’m very results driven. I love marketing and helping businesses scale, and that’s what I studied at Loyola University Chicago. Business is business to me. I’m not emotional about it. I focus on what actually works and what doesn’t.
POTSies is the complete opposite. It’s personal. I’ve been living with this for over 10 years, so it comes with real, lived emotion. It’s not just a strategy or an idea, it’s my actual life. When I was first diagnosed, I felt truly hopeless for the first time, and that’s what pushed me to create something that could help others feel better day to day and regain even a little bit of hope.
I still hold a high standard in everything I do, but with POTSies, it goes beyond that. It’s about creating something that can actually help someone feel better day to day and give them even a little bit of hope back.
One thing my dad has always said is, if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. I’ve carried that with me and surrounded myself with people, partners, and clients who challenge me and push me to grow. That’s what life and business are really about.
What sets me apart is that I don’t approach anything halfway. I turn stress and challenges into something productive, and everything I build comes from real experience and a genuine desire to make things better.
What I’m most proud of is being able to take something difficult and turn it into something that helps other people. At the end of the day, I want people to feel like they’re not alone in whatever they’re navigating, whether that’s growing a business or dealing with something personal.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I’ve always been the person who figures it out. Not because I want to be, but because no one else is going to solve your problems for you. At some point, I realized waiting for answers wasn’t an option. If something in my life or business isn’t working, it’s on me to fix it. That’s how I operate.
What that’s looked like in real life is constantly adjusting, whether that’s how I run my business or how I manage my health. I ask better questions, I test things, I pivot quickly, and I don’t stay stuck.
I’m also very honest with myself. If something isn’t working, I don’t ignore it or sugarcoat it. I fix it or I change direction.
Resilience, for me, isn’t about being perfect or pushing through blindly. It’s about taking ownership and knowing that no matter what comes up, I’ll figure it out, because I have to.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
We sell both on our website (https://potsies.co) and on Amazon (https://a.co/d/06OznM4g), and each serves a different purpose.
Our website is where we build the brand and what comes next. The next phase is creating a community where people can ask questions, join live discussions with medical professionals, and get real answers without waiting 6 to 12 months to see a POTS specialist. It’s also about giving people a space where they’re not being judged or compared, which is a big issue with invisible illnesses.
Amazon is more about visibility and accessibility. It makes it easy for people to find us and trust the product, especially if they already shop there. It’s also helping validate demand as we look at expanding internationally, since we’ve had people from all over the world asking when it will be available in their country. At the end of the day, Amazon helps people discover us, but the website is where we build something bigger than just the product.
Inspiring Conversations with Kristen Kukta of Unblurred Media
Nashville,TN: August 24, 2021– We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristen Kukta. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristen below.
Hi Kristen, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
So I moved to Nashville in 2007 and I worked different marketing and PR jobs, I even worked for a different ad agency before I started my own. In 2016 I decided to go out on my own and as scary as it was it’s been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Sometimes I wish there was a story on how it happened and how I got to where I am today but literally it was just trusting God and doing what I felt was best for me, oh and working my booty off day and night. Owning a business isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Overnight I came up with a name, a website and a logo. I’ve always been raised that your reputation is your name and your name is your reputation and I wanted to be in a position where I could be honest with people because at the end of the day owning a marketing and advertising company, your clients are trusting you with their livelihoods and their businesses. As big as Nashville has grown over the last 14 years, is it truly is still a small town and we’ve been very lucky that over the last four years, we’ve been mostly referral-based. I truly believe if you do good work, it’ll speak for itself and so will the referrals. I will say though the most honest advice I’ve ever got and I wish I had it the day I started my company is hire an attorney and a business manager. They will help you from not going insane.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With owning a business, there’s always struggles. There’s ups and downs, there’s highs and lows. There’s times when you question why you even started a business. I’ve been pretty lucky besides a few people suddenly deciding they don’t want to pay their bills. Yet, I’ve always tried to focus on the positives because you can dwell on the negative for far too long. I try to surround myself with positivity because it’s amazing what that can do, both personally and professionally.
We’ve been impressed with Unblurred Media LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Unblurred Media has over 15 years in the Advertising and Marketing field. We leverage your unique strengths to build strategic roadmaps and deliver the right customers to our clients. Our team offers unparalleled creative solutions to all of our clients and is determined to see every job through to its success. I think as an owner of a business, I am most proud of where we started and where we’re at now. Sometimes I pinch myself when people ask me advice on business and I still feel like I’m so green. I’m also very proud of my team and our ability to create relationships with our clients that isn’t just about business. We get to know them on personal levels and to this day I still think relationships are one of the most important things in our lives.. whether it’s business or personal.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I wish the younger generation would understand the importance of relationships. I’ve seen that be dismissed so much and people tend to focus on what someone can do for them versus getting to know the person and a great relationship can open doors to so much more.