Recently, there have been reports indicating that small businesses are experiencing a "surge" in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. For example, institutions like Verizon, Salesforce, and the Associated Press have stated that many small businesses are leveraging AI to drive revenue growth and enhance competitiveness. However, as a small business owner, I must say that these claims are overly optimistic, and the reality is quite different.
Image Source Note: Image generated by AI, image licensed from service provider Midjourney
In reality, many small businesses are still at a basic stage of AI usage. While we do not completely ignore AI technology, most of us only occasionally experiment with popular AI tools like ChatGPT and other chatbots. We ask questions on these platforms, seek assistance, and even try to use them for drafting contracts and policy documents. However, we do not follow blindly, understanding that the responses generated by these AIs are not always accurate, and we have experienced system failures and delays.
In contrast, large enterprises are more proactive and mature in their investment and application of AI. For instance, companies like JPMorgan Chase and UBS are developing AI platforms to provide analytics, trading, and customer consulting services. Small businesses, on the other hand, often rely on AI features provided by software vendors, which are typically focused on automating daily operations and optimizing workflows.
In the future, as technology advances, small businesses may gain access to powerful AI systems at lower costs, which can assist us in handling customer inquiries, generating quotes, sending invoices, and more. However, most small business owners still harbor doubts about the reliability of AI and data security. Therefore, despite reports suggesting that AI usage among small businesses is rapidly increasing, this situation has not yet materialized.
The widespread application of artificial intelligence in small businesses still has a long way to go, with many business owners remaining cautious, waiting for more mature and reliable solutions.
Key Points:
🌐 The use of AI by small businesses is still at a basic stage, contrary to reports of a "surge."
💼 Large enterprises have a more mature application of AI and invest significantly more.
🔍 Small business owners remain cautious about the reliability of AI and data security, and widespread application is still some time away.
