PHOENIX — While companies struggle to keep up with larger companies in the artificial intelligence boom, local researchers are working to give them an edge.
Hitendra Chaturvedi, a professor and researcher at Arizona State University, is trying to figure out how to get the most out of AI in small-scale operations.
“Large companies are adopting faster than small and medium-sized enterprises. Everyone had an opinion as to why small and medium-sized enterprises are not adopting, but no one knew the facts behind it,” Chaturvedi said.
Chaturvedi has already interviewed more than 100 local companies to identify the biggest barriers.
“The fundamental issue with AI adoption in small and medium-sized businesses is balance,” says Chaturvedi.
He noted that companies need to find a balance between readiness, appetite, and awareness for AI. Companies often try to implement AI in the same way as any other technology, but in reality, AI requires enhanced training over time.
“What AI is doing is not only amplifying successes when done correctly, but also amplifying failures,” Chaturvedi said.
Through her work with the ASU Small Business Center, Chaturvedi plans to use this data to create tools that allow local businesses to independently review what works and what doesn’t when implementing AI in their companies.
“It takes a village. It takes an ecosystem. That’s what we’re building,” Chaturvedi said.
In just a few years, ASU students and faculty have created more than $20 million in value by solving problems for local businesses through the ASU Center, Chaturvedi said.
For Valley-owned businesses like Kaizink Screen Print and Embroidery, major market changes like AI present both opportunities and potential pain points. Owner Jeff Hale said doing things differently is in his company’s DNA.
“If you have a logo, we create it. So we create everything from business cards to vehicle graphics to in-store graphics to trade show materials to uniforms,” Hale said.
At Kaizink, we started using AI to help rebuild odd or small files.
“I think you’re spending about $10 a month. Let’s take a moment to think about how we can shorten a process that used to take about a day and a half to two days to about a minute,” Hale said.
Mr. Hale pointed to the disparity in resources between small and medium-sized enterprises and large enterprises when it comes to implementing new technologies.
“Enterprise-level companies can bring in their whole team and say, ‘Okay, give me this. Deliver this in six months. Deliver this in a year.’ I have weekends and nights,” Hale said.
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