At Voice of Reason AI, we usually focus on developing artificial intelligence solutions for people with brain disabilities. Today, I want to shift gears and discuss a different issue that's been on my mind: why aren't small companies using AI more aggressively?

I've been asked by former colleagues whether they should "do something with AI." But that's not the right question to ask. The real question should be: why isn't your organization using AI right now to achieve significant, immediate impacts?

There are countless things a small business can do with AI, often requiring little to no investment. All you need is one person with the desire, solid system design skills, and a deep understanding of your business. Here are a few examples of what you can accomplish right now:

  1. Analyze Customer Support Calls: AI agents can quickly analyze recorded support calls to identify what's really important to your customers. This can lead to better customer insights and improved service.
  2. Enhance Software Development: If your company develops software, AI can help generate better code—sometimes overnight—leading to more efficient development cycles.
  3. Identify Design Flaws: Use AI to uncover design flaws in your software and systems before your customers ever see them, ensuring a smoother user experience.
  4. Create Talking User Manuals: AI can be employed to generate interactive, talking user manuals for your products or services, making them more accessible and user-friendly.
  5. Streamline Processes: With AI, you can build new processes in minutes rather than days, significantly increasing operational efficiency.

These are not far-off possibilities; these are actions you can take in days, not months.

So why aren’t small companies taking advantage? At our startup, we can make decisions quickly and act on them immediately. But as companies grow beyond 50 people, inertia, turf wars, and resistance to change often set in. Common excuses for not adopting new technologies include:

  • "The AI landscape is changing too fast; we should wait." But waiting means missing out on immediate benefits.
  • "How do we know it will work?" The only way to find out is to try. Start small and scale up.
  • "It's hard or expensive." Actually, it’s easier and cheaper than ever before.
  • "Our IT group doesn't have time or doesn’t want to do it." Often, this is a sign of resistance to change rather than a genuine obstacle.

At Voice of Reason AI, we don’t have the luxury of making excuses; we take action. And that's what I encourage all small companies to do. Use tools like AutoGen or Crewai to start building AI solutions that provide insights and efficiencies right now. Don't let fear or inertia hold you back. The time to start is now!