Small businesses have some big ideas when it comes to using AI.
Last year, the majority used AI, with some touting it as a lifeline.
“I know a lot of people are worried about AI taking their jobs, but for us in particular, that’s the only reason our company can survive,” small business owner Brandon Lind told BI’s Julianna Kaplan.
From speeding up processes to simplifying operations, AI is having a huge impact on how these small teams operate.
That won’t happen without significant costs. The median payout per employee for small businesses implementing AI is about $21, compared to $11 for companies of all sizes.
Some business owners told Juliana about inadvertently paying large bills and worrying that once they got used to AI tools, prices would go up.
But for businesses with low profit margins and constant threat, it’s hard to turn down a tool that has an immediate and noticeable impact.
For small businesses, AI can be a help or a hindrance.
In many ways, this technology is built for small and medium-sized businesses that can quickly deploy and adapt their processes.
I still think it’s pretty unrealistic for large companies to introduce Vibecode into a ton of new software tools. But it becomes more realistic when you’re overseeing dozens of employees instead of thousands.
Cutting some SaaS subscriptions can make a big difference for small businesses.
There’s still a real risk of losing what makes small businesses special in the first place.
I’m willing to pay more at Bob’s Hardware than at Home Depot. In the former, you know that Bob himself might be able to help you find what you’re looking for. If you’re getting BobGPT instead of Bob, that value property doesn’t seem to be very good.
But that doesn’t mean small businesses are stuck in the past. They are allowed to evolve and adjust.
But the AI backlash is real. The real advantage for small businesses may not be in using AI, but in being one of the few that doesn’t.