One third of small businesses are experimenting with gen AI and a quarter of them are already seeing the upside, according to a recent small business survey. One of the biggest benefits is getting ahead in the race for talent, with gen AI-equipped small businesses 45% more likely to fill open roles than small businesses not using the technology.
But business owners also say that AI is becoming critical to their own role as 'chief everything officer,' from executing on leadership functions to financial growth goals. To be clear, there's still a large chunk (43%) of small businesses that have never even considered using gen AI in their operations, according to the survey of 1,300 respondents from small business software company Gusto. But nearly a third are experimenting with it while a quarter have already seen the upside, the survey found. Nicholas Tremper, senior economist at Gusto, said the biggest benefit for small businesses using gen AI is getting ahead in the race for talent. 'Small businesses tell us that they continue to have difficulty hiring,' Tremper said. 'Employees are looking for ways to use their skills most effectively in a business.' Tremper said owners and employees are strapped for time and resources and wear many hats, but allowing workers to focus on the skills they want to use while gen AI takes the excess makes a workplace more attractive. That explains why gen AI-equipped small businesses are 45% more likely to fill open roles, Gusto reports.in the U.S. include education, health care, hospitality and professional services (which includes a wide swath, like legal services, landscaping, cleaning and waste disposal). Gusto has found that it's some of these same industries where gen AI is most helpful. 'These are businesses that are important to the local economies, but also important to the local culture,' he sai