Today, nearly everything seems to be used to score political points. That, unfortunately, includes rather straightforward economic and small business issues.
For example, Axios.com recently served up a polling question seeking to capture the share of registered voters who say which “groups benefit the most when the president makes AI policies.” The effort doesn’t seem to want to capture specifics or what is actually happening on the ground, but to politicize AI. The results were predictable, again as the question lacked specifics of policies being pursued or proposed: 49 percent responded that “Big Tech” benefits most while only 3 percent said small business. The quotes in the article reflected the political spin.
Of course, from a small business perspective and in terms of the overall economy, what’s actually far more interesting and relevant is what small businesses actually are saying about and doing with AI. Moreover, entrepreneurs and small businesses are dominant in the technology sector, and the various policies and initiatives that SBE Council has supported – such as the President’s Executive Orders on AI – boosts entrepreneurial innovation, as well as small business users of AI.
Consider some key findings in SBE Council’s latest “Small Business Check Up and Tech Use Survey”:
● “Nearly three in four businesses (72%) expect AI to redefine their industry within five years, with 44% predicting a major or transformative impact.”
● “74% of users report that AI has been important or very important to their firm’s competitiveness over the past year.”
● “Savings are being reinvested: 41% report that AI frees up time for strategic growth, 35% use it to focus on higher-value work, and many channel gains into technology upgrades (25%) and wage growth (18%).”
● Also, “55% of users expect to increase spending on AI tools over the next year,” and “35% plan to maintain current levels, while just 4% anticipate a cutback.”
● 35% of small businesses use AI for general business research, the most common application; and 31% use it for content writing; and 24%-25% as marketing tools, such as AI-powered email and social media management (24–25%). In addition, “practical uses extend to financial tools, customer service chatbots, and inventory management (22–24%).” Meanwhile, “only 12% report not using any AI tools, underscoring broad adoption.”
The reality points to small businesses seeing value and opportunity in AI investments. It’s interesting what can be discovered outside the shadows of politics.
Small Businesses are Clearly Benefiting from AI
By
Ray Keating
Today, nearly everything seems to be used to score political points. That, unfortunately, includes rather straightforward economic and small business issues.
For example, Axios.com recently served up a polling question seeking to capture the share of registered voters who say which “groups benefit the most when the president makes AI policies.” The effort doesn’t seem to want to capture specifics or what is actually happening on the ground, but to politicize AI. The results were predictable, again as the question lacked specifics of policies being pursued or proposed: 49 percent responded that “Big Tech” benefits most while only 3 percent said small business. The quotes in the article reflected the political spin.
Of course, from a small business perspective and in terms of the overall economy, what’s actually far more interesting and relevant is what small businesses actually are saying about and doing with AI. Moreover, entrepreneurs and small businesses are dominant in the technology sector, and the various policies and initiatives that SBE Council has supported – such as the President’s Executive Orders on AI – boosts entrepreneurial innovation, as well as small business users of AI.
Consider some key findings in SBE Council’s latest “Small Business Check Up and Tech Use Survey”:
● “Nearly three in four businesses (72%) expect AI to redefine their industry within five years, with 44% predicting a major or transformative impact.”
● “74% of users report that AI has been important or very important to their firm’s competitiveness over the past year.”
● “Savings are being reinvested: 41% report that AI frees up time for strategic growth, 35% use it to focus on higher-value work, and many channel gains into technology upgrades (25%) and wage growth (18%).”
● Also, “55% of users expect to increase spending on AI tools over the next year,” and “35% plan to maintain current levels, while just 4% anticipate a cutback.”
● 35% of small businesses use AI for general business research, the most common application; and 31% use it for content writing; and 24%-25% as marketing tools, such as AI-powered email and social media management (24–25%). In addition, “practical uses extend to financial tools, customer service chatbots, and inventory management (22–24%).” Meanwhile, “only 12% report not using any AI tools, underscoring broad adoption.”
The reality points to small businesses seeing value and opportunity in AI investments. It’s interesting what can be discovered outside the shadows of politics.