While AI is already being utilised by most larger businesses to support their employees with automation and a range of everyday tasks, there is a large proportion of the business sector that is still missing out on its capabilities.
With 5.4million small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) registered in the UK last year, they make up a large proportion of the UK business sector and there is a huge opportunity for these businesses to be making the most of the tools that are available to them.
Where businesses don’t have the luxury of big IT departments or data scientists to advise on the availability of the latest AI tools, they might not be aware of best practices or how they can get meaningful insights from the data they hold, or how to safely implement AI use into their everyday work.
Small business workers, especially where there are less than 50 employees, know all too well what it feels like to juggle lots of different tasks at the same time. They’re often wearing many different hats within the business – having to think about their job role as well as creating marketing content, the accounts and admin, as well as the wellbeing of their teams.
They just can’t be experts in everything so having AI applications to support them with some of the menial tasks can only be an added bonus – and gives them a distinct advantage over the organisations that don’t embrace new technologies.
Positive impact of AI
In the past high costs have prevented small businesses from using AI-enabled platforms, but the wider development of this technology has opened up a range of tools for those working on a budget.
A recent study looked into how AI is being used in the workplace and found that 74% of employees at small businesses felt they could benefit from using the technology more – but more than half (54%) of small businesses that took part said they aren’t currently using it at all, compared to 40% of larger firms that took part.
Of the small businesses that are using AI already, 95% said it is having a positive impact on their workload, which shows there is potential for greater efficiency and happier teams through the use of AI technology. Other benefits they cited include:
- Reduced workloads (50%)
- Improved productivity (45%)
- Reduced costs (45%)
Employees told us that as well as using AI for repetitive admin tasks, they are also using it for more specialist tasks such as content creation, research, data analysis and customer support. The possibilities with it are endless.
Content creation could offer the most value to small businesses when it is combined with business applications in a safe and secure environment, following roles and permission without any important data leaking outside of the company. The time consuming processes of data gathering and data analysis can also be massively reduced by using a secure AI tool.
Greater risks around AI use
There is however, still a nervousness among small businesses about implementing AI technology. Those we surveyed said they had been resistant to using it more because, among many other things, they had concerns about data security, job replacement and privacy.
This is understandable given that some generative AI tools are trained on the data that people put into them, which could mean your sensitive customer and company information can be easily compromised. The risks may also seem a lot greater for small businesses who have much more to lose compared to larger corporations.
Some 61% of small businesses told us they’re using ChatGPT but they would have the most to lose if sensitive company information is used to train AI models, which explains some of their reluctance to implement the tools into their current systems. Another 46% said they have used AI in secret to get ahead of their colleagues or to look good in front of their boss, which raises questions about the security of information they’re inputting into AI.
It’s much better for a business to implement a secure and trusted solution to support their teams and reduce any opportunities for risk, rather than leaving them to find their own solutions and use AI in secret. Once a business is confident the platform they have invested in is secure, they’ll worry much less and will ensure they are using it to its full potential.
More time to think creatively
I would argue that small businesses have the most to gain from using AI. They just need to think about how they implement it in an innovative and safe way.
In a small business there’s more pressure on owners and managers to make a decision on what technology to adopt. They rarely have the time or expertise to properly research the AI tools available and which would be the most beneficial to their company and employees, so it’s understandable that it’s often the last thing they might think of.
I believe some of the best ideas to enhance a business will come from people who have embraced AI in their roles – because they just have more time to think creatively and the freedom to try new things.
AI isn’t designed to replace employees, but it does help them to streamline tasks and work more efficiently, allowing them to give more time to the more enjoyable and rewarding aspects of their role. This can help increase employee satisfaction and engagement, and in turn improve employee retention if you have a happier workforce.
The adoption of AI is so much faster than any other technological development we’ve seen in decades. Small businesses need to make sure they are keeping up and using AI gives them that competitive edge over others that aren’t. Especially against larger firms that are already using it to their full advantage.
Once using AI becomes second nature to employees it will become part of their daily workflow and they will reach for it out of habit, rather than fearing it. It just takes a senior leader in the business to push for its safe use and over time employees will be more comfortable with it too.
