Small Businesses Can Use AI To Operate For A Fraction Of The Cost — These Experts Reveal How

From making a marketing strategy to screening job candidates, there are numerous methods to make use of synthetic intelligence instruments in your small enterprise. As AI continues to enhance and develop, companies are more and more ready to make use of AI in virtually each nook of their work, typically for a fraction of what it might value to develop their workforce.

“Synthetic intelligence has the potential to essentially (reshape) the panorama for small and medium companies,” says Itamar Shabtai, director on the Heart for Info Methods & Expertise at Claremont Graduate College. “It’s not a distant frontier or an unique instrument for company giants.”

Many corporations are already discovering worth in utilizing AI of their work — 82 % of small companies view AI as useful of their enterprise, and 65 % of small companies are already utilizing AI, particularly in finance and accounting, buyer assist and HR, in keeping with a survey from Paychex.

However within the fast-moving world of AI, it’s not at all times apparent what instruments can be found and the way you should utilize them. To higher perceive AI’s capabilities and decide the very best instruments for enterprise homeowners, Bankrate spoke to specialists in AI, enterprise and government management. Their responses illustrate the various job capabilities AI can plug into and the way small companies can greatest use AI to enhance their productiveness and operations.

1. Advertising and communications

There’s huge potential to make use of AI in advertising, public relations and social media, in keeping with specialists. AI platforms might help develop a small enterprise’s attain by plugging in on content material creation and viewers evaluation, all for a fraction of the price of hiring an individual. For instance, small companies can use AI for advertising duties that may have occupied a whole workers, in keeping with Chris Ferris, Ph.D., a Rice College Enterprise College lecturer.

Particularly, small companies can use AI to create:

• advertising property, resembling logos and web site designs.
• advert copy, social media content material and web site content material, resembling blogs, product descriptions and video scripts.
• viewers personas and to assist refine internet advertising methods.
• tailor-made messaging and A/B testing.

“Generative AI stands out as an accessible powerhouse for SMBs (small and medium companies), notably in content material creation,” provides Shabtai. “Small companies leverage AI-driven instruments to supply tailor-made advertising supplies — weblog posts, social media content material, promoting copy — with unprecedented pace and effectiveness.”

Moreover, for inside communications, Mina Haque, an lawyer and adjunct professor on the American College Washington School of Legislation, says AI is nice at creating fundamental inside paperwork, like coaching supplies.

“For companies with restricted workers and assets, AI instruments can effectively generate every day operational pointers, assembly agendas, buyer correspondence and advertising content material that may in any other case devour beneficial time,” Haque says.

Nonetheless, she emphasizes some documentation, like authorized paperwork, would have to be reviewed by a licensed lawyer to make sure accuracy.

2. Customer support and insights

Customer support is essential to many small companies, however it often means hiring individuals to reply telephones, reply to clients’ emails and carry out different time-consuming duties. Dan Yelle, the chief knowledge and analytics officer at Credibly, a small enterprise lending platform, says AI might help small companies by shortly assessing clients and operating approvals. It is a course of that usually takes days or even weeks, however with AI, it may take simply hours.

“This enables a small agency to punch effectively above its weight class by way of buyer acquisition and depart human workers to refine the customer support course of to the next high quality than the competitors,” Yelle says.

Additionally, in the event you’ve ever seen a pop-up on a small enterprise’ web site directing you to talk with a digital customer support agent, you understand how helpful AI may be for answering clients’ fundamental questions. Tony Tong, co-founder and chief know-how officer at Intellectia AI, an AI-powered investing platform, says chatbots and digital assistants are already processing nearly all of day-to-day questions for a lot of small companies.

3. Gross sales

From drafting a gross sales pitch to lowering buyer churn, AI can add loads of worth for a small gross sales staff. Tomas Rasymas, head of AI at Hostinger, a web site internet hosting platform, says AI instruments can analyze historic knowledge and client conduct to foretell gross sales and determine patterns — a lifesaver for a lot of gross sales groups. With AI, small groups can prioritize duties and shut offers sooner than ever.

AI also can: 

• determine and prioritize leads.
• monitor buyer sentiment, market shifts and competitor actions in actual time.
• drive buyer relationship administration software program, recommending subsequent steps to gross sales representatives and pulling leads.

4. Operations and human assets

AI also can carry out many fundamental duties that may usually want an administrative assistant, in keeping with specialists. Moreover, whereas AI most likely can’t interview a candidate for you, it may carry out another HR duties:

• summarize paperwork, resembling assembly notes.
• enhance or generate complete emails.
• automate administrative duties like bookkeeping, accounting, invoicing and monetary forecasting.
• display candidates and schedule interviews, in addition to determine retention dangers early.

AI could be a gamechanger — in the event you train warning

Whereas AI is a great tool, small companies ought to put guardrails in place to make sure their AI-created content material is correct.

Yusen Xia, Ph.D., a professor and director of the Institute for Perception at Georgia State College, factors out that Language Studying Fashions (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini can hallucinate, that means they will current deceptive or inaccurate data. Most content material, particularly authorized and monetary supplies, must be reviewed by knowledgeable earlier than getting used. Publishing deceptive or inaccurate data may injury your companies’ credibility, and even result in regulatory or authorized points.

“AI might help small companies to (do) extra issues with fewer workers,” Ferris provides. “However the bottom line is to not merely publish AI-generated content material or property. People nonetheless have to be concerned in guiding, reviewing, checking and bettering any output from AI instruments.”

What’s extra, in the event you’re a small enterprise proprietor, you must also take care to not plug buyer knowledge (resembling Social Safety numbers and financial institution data) or different delicate data right into a third-party AI instrument, resembling ChatGPT. It’s an present concern: Greater than half (54 %) of small companies say knowledge privateness and safety are a major problem to adopting AI, in keeping with Paychex.

AI could make it extra reasonably priced to run your corporation — simply attempt to keep away from subscription creep

You must also be cognizant of prices when utilizing AI instruments. Whereas most AI chatbots are extra reasonably priced than hiring somebody to finish the duty, they will nonetheless include their very own charges.

ChatGPT, for one, has tiers starting from free to $200 a month, whereas Claude has tiers starting from free to $100 monthly. When you select to pay for an AI service, make certain to concentrate on subscription creep, particularly in the event you’ve just lately began your small enterprise and are attempting to maintain down prices. Individuals already spend a median of $91 on subscription providers every month, in keeping with CNET, and a few AI providers cost double that.

The underside line

Whereas AI can’t exchange your whole to-do listing, in the event you’re a sole proprietor or lead a small enterprise staff, it might be simply what it’s good to push your corporation to the subsequent degree.

“AI in 2025 isn’t just for Fortune 500s,” Tong says. “It’s the last word power multiplier for small enterprise homeowners — liberating them from mundane duties to allow them to focus on development, innovation, and clients.”

Specialists interviewed by Bankrate

Bankrate interviewed eight specialists from universities and firms throughout the nation for his or her insights about AI and small companies:

Chris Ferris, Ph.D., is a lecturer at Rice Enterprise in Houston, TX, the place he teaches a self-designed class on digital technique to MBA college students. He additionally works as SVP of digital technique at Pierpont Communications, a PR and advertising agency headquartered in Houston. He has a MA in Communications from the College of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. from the College of Texas Well being Science Heart in Houston.

Mina Haque
Adjunct professor of Legislation at American College Washington School of Legislation

Mohaimina “Mina” Haque is the CEO of Tony Roma’s, the place she is spearheading a strategic transformation to revitalize the long-lasting 53-year-old restaurant chain. Alongside her government position, Mina runs a profitable legislation agency specializing in immigration and company legislation, with a give attention to mergers and acquisitions.
Mina can also be an adjunct professor at American College Washington School of Legislation, the place she teaches legislation follow administration. Mina was named one in all Girls We Admire’s Prime Girls Leaders of DC for 2024 and Prime Legal professional of the Yr by the Worldwide Affiliation of Prime Professionals in 2023.

Tomas Rasymas
Head of AI, Hostinger

Tomas Rasymas is an AI chief, researcher and builder with over 15 years of expertise in knowledge science, synthetic intelligence, and know-how management. As head of AI at Hostinger, he focuses on bringing AI into real-world purposes—creating clever chatbots, shaping the way forward for web site builders with AI, and integrating Giant Language Fashions (LLMs) into merchandise. He additionally based 00AI Group, an area for AI professionals and lovers to attach, share data, and push the sector ahead in Lithuania. Keen about AI’s potential, Tomas enjoys mentoring groups, experimenting with new concepts and contributing to AI discussions.

Itamar Shabtai
Director of the Heart for Info Methods & Expertise, Claremont Graduate College

Itamar Shabtai is the director of the Heart for Info Methods and Expertise (CISAT) and the director of the Physician of Expertise program at CGU. From 2015 to 2021, Shabtai was the dean of the College of Economics and vice rector for educating and high quality, in addition to the Janusz Korczak Chair for Tutorial Schooling in The Digital Age on the School of Administration Tutorial Research. He additionally served as the pinnacle of the Info Methods and Information Analytics program.

Tony Tong, Ph.D.
Co-founder and Chief Expertise Officer, Intellectia AI

Tony Tong is Co-Founder and Chief Expertise Officer at Intellectia AI, bringing over 15 years of distinguished expertise in synthetic intelligence, machine studying, and IT management. A acknowledged innovator, Tony holds greater than 20 worldwide patents and has a sturdy monitor file of pioneering superior know-how options throughout numerous industries.
Previous to Intellectia AI, Tony served as CTO and Head of AI/ML at Auditoria.ai, the place he developed a sophisticated conversational AI platform designed for finance back-office automation. His spectacular profession additionally contains main machine studying analysis at BlackRock’s Information Discovery Staff, contributing to ML-driven buying and selling methods at Sentient Funding Administration, and holding government R&D positions at Punchh Inc. and Luminus Gadgets.
Tony’s interdisciplinary experience is backed by in depth educational credentials, together with twin Bachelor’s levels in Mechanical Engineering and Pc Science from the College of Science and Expertise of China, a Grasp’s in Monetary Engineering from UC Berkeley Haas College of Enterprise, and a Ph.D. in Nano-Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Yusen Xia, Ph.D.
Anne and Michael D. Easterly Distinguished Professor, Director on the Institute for Perception, Georgia State College

Dr. Xia’s analysis pursuits embody machine studying, deep studying and generative AI, structured and unstructured knowledge analytics, healthcare analytics, and operations and provide chain administration. He has been making use of and advancing totally different analytics strategies to resolve enterprise issues in numerous industries. His analysis has been printed in prime journals resembling Administration Science, Operations Analysis, Manufacturing and Service Operations Administration, Manufacturing and Operations Administration, Journal of Operations Administration, Journal of Monetary Economics, Informs Journal on Computing, and Harvard Enterprise Legislation Overview. His analysis has been supported by Nationwide Science Basis and lots of corporations from the business. He’s at the moment a senior editor of Manufacturing and Operations Administration Journal.

Dan Yelle
Chief Information and Analytics Officer, Credibly

As Chief Information and Analytics Officer at Credibly, Dan Yelle is answerable for driving methods by knowledge science and analytics throughout the chance administration lifecycle, together with main the event of AI and Machine Studying purposes. Dan holds Grasp’s levels in Utilized Statistics from Cornell College and Physics from Syracuse College, following his undergraduate work on the College of Pittsburgh.