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The Future of AI for Small Business: An Overview of Resources and Analysis

Writer's picture: Cody MeirickCody Meirick

Updated: Sep 26, 2024

It is an amazing time to be venturing into the world of AI, especially as a small business. While certain types of AI have been around for a few decades, it really has been since 2020 where AI has quickly become a revolution that touches on so many of our daily work processes. AI for small business has become a promise that been floated to so many industries. And yet, is AI truly innovating and helping the companies that need it the most? Or is it only reaching the richest and most equipped, while leaving so many behind? Let’s explore how we got where we are, and how Quantum Impact aims to be part of a larger solution of getting AI resources in the hands of the small businesses that need it the most.


The History of AI for Small Business

In many ways this new AI revolution can be compared to the digital revolution and the internet boom of the 1990s. The world wide web was made publicly available in 1991, and over the next 10+ years buying, selling, and conducting business shifted online in a way that became revolutionary. Did it improve small businesses? Not always. Not only was there the Dot Com Bubble that burst and took with it a huge host of startups. But there were the small businesses left behind entirely.


How did small businesses take on the early internet? The Netscape Navigator via Aug. 9, 1995. | AP

Now we are seeing it with the AI revolution, but on a much quicker timescale. In the 1980s and 90s, early AI adoption involved things like basic data entry and rudimentary chatbots. For a while, we have all grown accustomed to chatbots that appeared in the bottom of your screen hoping to answer simple questions. But these were only a step away from the search feature, just in a way that seemed conversational. While at the same time in these early digital days, large corporations were starting to use expert systems to take on large data tasks and “learn” from them. If you’ve ever had a Roomba to clean your home, that is just one of many early examples. But under the surface, advances in the 80s and 90s were getting large corporations a lead. Expert systems were deployed in finance for risk assessment, in healthcare for diagnostics, and in manufacturing for process optimization. Not things that trickled down much to AI for small business applications. By the 2000s, large companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple were using large data and analysis to revolutionize how things were marketed, how products were created, and how customers would react before a product was even launched. Large corporations like Siemens used AI for generative design, which helped in creating better products faster and at a lower cost. While AI for small businesses were left largely on the cutting room floor. They had access to some tools that leveraged a modicum of AI technology, but they were held back by many of the same things that hold them back with any new technology:

  • Resource Constraints - Small businesses often lacked the financial and technical resources to invest in AI technologies.

  • Limited Data - Without large datasets, small businesses couldn’t fully leverage AI for data-driven decision-making.

  • Skill Gaps - Hiring skilled professionals to implement and manage AI systems was often beyond the reach of smaller firms. Scalability Issues - Even if small businesses adopted AI, scaling these solutions to match their growth was challenging.


what is future of ai for small business


Where Are We Now?

In the 2020s, AI technology has taken a leap forward. In June 2020, OpenAI released GPT-3, which significantly advanced the capabilities of language models. By 2021 advanced AI like DALL-E and EfficientNetV2 implemented image recognition and generation technologies that are just starting to be implemented in large ways and in so many ways.


While opportunity abounds, it is important to acknowledge that we will likely experience the same technological gap we have seen before, this time faster and more impactful. Current research is spelling out some major problems with AI for small business expansion. Specifically, we see early signs of an “AI divide.” 



ai for small business
At risk of being left behind on AI, SMBs focus on the art of the possible. (2024) Credit: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock

So much points to the idea that large corporations are set up to succeed, leaving small businesses well behind. The thing with AI is, the more data you have, the more effective it is. When this AI revolution began, large companies were sitting on a wealth of data that they could immediately use. 


The larger the data, the more effective an AI or machine learning tool will be… With a larger pool of data, the large businesses and multinational corporations have effectively been building, developing and adopting refined AI and machine learning based decision systems.”

It isn’t a stretch to see how AI for small business applications immediately enter the arena handicapped with much smaller data sets.


So what do we do about this AI divide?


The Mission: Bridging the Gap


We need solutions that work and are focused on small businesses and their unique needs. The mission: tackling that AI gap to build a more equitable and abundant world with AI solutions. A more inclusive AI landscape. This needs to be done by working with small business needs and where they are now. We need to push aside expectations that often times appear from unrealistic visions of large corporations, in which new technologies can be moved on quickly and with near unlimited resources.


A focus on data-driven decision-making was once only available to large corporations with significant resources. Quantum Impact’s solutions help small businesses understand customer behavior, predict market trends, and improve overall efficiency, leveling the playing field in a competitive market.


But it isn’t just one tool. It is a conversation about all the tools. It is about education and consultation that helps small businesses navigate a world full of new and oftentimes confusing applications.


Quantum Impact is committed to continuous education and support for small businesses. We provide comprehensive training programs and resources to help business owners and their teams understand and effectively use AI technologies. By fostering a community of innovation and learning, Quantum Impact is not just a technology provider but a partner in the growth and success of small businesses in the AI era.



Resources for Small Businesses


Open Learning from MIT - Includes technology and AI courses both paid and free


Score - Online and one-on-one mentoring for small businesses, including many technology-related courses


Free Guide to Using ChatGPT at Work - A useful (free) tool for using ChatGPT


AI Training Opportunities - Salesforce provides free training and space for AI upskilling


AI For Work - Here are lots of AI prompts to get work done


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