Tired of hearing about AI but not knowing how to actually use it in your business? You're not alone. SMBs are hungry for practical AI solutions, not just buzzwords.
That's why I've brought together 33 leading AI experts to give you the straight talk. They're revealing the AI tools and strategies that are truly making a difference for businesses today, as well as the trends that are mostly hype. As Christopher S. Penn, Chief Data Scientist at TrustInsights.ai, wisely advises, 'AI is a tool. It amplifies what's already there. To paraphrase the Captain America movie, it makes the good into great and the bad into worse.'
Ready to make your 'good' even greater? Let's dive in.
To get to the heart of the matter, we asked 33 leading AI experts two crucial questions:
- AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
- This question aims to cut through the noise and identify the AI applications that are truly delivering value for SMBs, as well as the trends that might be overhyped or not yet ready for prime time.
- Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
- This question dives into the less obvious challenges of AI adoption, prompting experts to share their insights on potential pitfalls and how SMBs can proactively address them.
Their answers provide a roadmap for SMBs seeking to navigate the complexities of AI and harness its power for growth and efficiency.
The generous AI experts and practitioners who have weighed in:
Alex Carlson
Owner, Digital Pop LLC | Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
The most impactful thing small and medium businesses can do with AI right now is much simpler than you might think. It's just getting your team trained on using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini effectively. When your employees know how to use these LLMs well, it's like giving everyone a personal assistant that's available 24/7. Your customer service people can draft better responses in seconds.
The transformation happens when these tools become part of everyone's daily workflow. They're not replacing your workers - they're making them more productive. And the best part? It doesn't cost much, most people can learn it pretty quickly, and you'll see results right away.
Despite the hype, fully autonomous AI agents that can navigate computer systems independently are still more promise than reality for most SMBs. The vision of digital workers handling complete business processes with minimal supervision remains largely aspirational.
Current agents typically excel at a single, more specifically defined, task like research, content creation, or triggering and managing automations. However, they struggle with:
- Adapting to unexpected situations
- Understanding context-specific business needs
- Managing complex decision trees
- Maintaining security and compliance standards
- Operating across multiple systems seamlessly
Many vendors are selling a future that's currently being built. Let me be clear, we're seeing remarkable progress each month, and this reality is changing almost daily, but businesses investing in a completely agent-based workforce replacement are likely to face disappointment in the short term.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
The biggest under-discussed challenge for small and medium businesses adopting AI isn't what you might expect. It's not about the technology failing or costing too much - it's about losing focus because of the overwhelming flood of new tools, features, and capabilities being announced literally every week.
When you're constantly bombarded with announcements about new AI models, tools, and features, your business can easily get caught in a cycle of endless exploration without really implementing anything well.
This creates real problems:
- Your team spends more time checking out new tools than effectively using what you already have
- Your workflows get fragmented across too many different AI solutions
- You fall into "shiny object syndrome" where you're always chasing the newest features without getting real value from your current tools
- Your budget gets spread way too thin across too many subscriptions
- Your employees get confused about which tools they should be using for which tasks
The answer is actually pretty straightforward - be more protective of your AI tech stack than you might think you need to be:
- Identify core business functions where AI can deliver immediate ROI (customer service, content creation, data analysis) * Select tools with staying power - focus on established platforms that aren't likely to disappear rather than the flashiest new startups
- Guard your tech stack aggressively - create an actual process for evaluating new AI tools that requires proving they're significantly better than what you already have
- Invest deeply in mastery - put more resources into thoroughly training your team on fewer tools rather than barely implementing many
- Create clear usage guidelines - document exactly which AI tools should be used for which purposes to prevent workflow confusion
The businesses that will actually benefit most from AI aren't the ones trying everything new, but those that establish a focused set of capabilities that directly improve their core operations. This creates a foundation you can build on methodically instead of chaotically. Bottom line: implementing a smaller set of tools deeply will almost always give you better results than implementing many tools superficially. When in doubt, focus on mastering the AI capabilities you already have before adding more.
About Alex Carlson
Alex Carlson is a digital marketing professional and entrepreneur, known for his expertise in web development, AI-driven marketing strategies, and content creation. As the founder and owner of Digital Pop LLC, established in 2020, Alex has been instrumental in helping small to medium-sized businesses establish a robust online presence, specializing in WordPress development and maintenance. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Alex is the host of "The AI Marketing Navigator" podcast, where he delves into the intersection of artificial intelligence and digital marketing.
Andy Crestodina
Cofounder & CMO, Orbit Media Studios, Inc. | Connect with Andy on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
This one is truly transformative: Whatever key deliverables you create as part of your job, build a CustomGPT to review and audit those deliverables. Build it out as a multi-step process, use Canvas mode, train the AI to ask for your input, teach it about your target audience. Ask it to find gaps and suggest improvements to whatever you're making.
AI is good at making things. AI is amazing at improving things. But only if you train it on the audience and best practices. Only if you collaborate closely.
The CustomGPT might take you 4 hours to train, test and polish up. But it might save you four hours per week (and make your work quality by 20%) forever after. Don't use AI to look for efficiencies. Use AI to look for deficiencies. Then plug those gaps!
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
The big risk is ignorance. Probably, someone you know has figured out an AI trick that would make your life easier ...if you only knew. The fix isn't to spend hours each week reading AI news. It's to talk to people. Find out what they're doing. What's working.
You can learn a ton on a monthly 15-minute call with a friend who tinkers. And maybe you can show them a trick or two.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Start with your use cases. Look for small ways to work it into your existing processes. There are infinite use cases. Dig in. The opportunities aren't far off!
About Andy Crestodina
Andy Crestodina is the co-founder and CMO of Orbit Media, an award-winning 50-person digital agency, focused on web design and website optimization. Over the past 24 years, Andy has provided digital marketing advice to 1000+ businesses. Andy has written 600+ articles on content strategy, SEO, GA4, AI and visitor psychology. These articles reach more than three million marketers each year.
Ashley Gross
CEO & Founder, AI Acceleration | Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
The most valuable way to use AI right now is for attribution. For the first time, you can automate multiple API calls across your entire tech stack, then use a large language model to summarize the data. This gives you a clear picture of which marketing and sales activities are actually making you money, helping you make smarter financial decisions. Every business should learn how to do this or hire someone who can.
The biggest overhype? AI SDRs. Don’t do it. Sales is human-to-human—you can't automate relationships.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Data usage can get expensive fast. As you move from optimizing AI tools to building automations and then deploying AI agents to manage those automations, costs can spiral out of control. Without an expert setting data thresholds and maintenance plans upfront, you’ll rack up serious debt.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
If you're a small business, you have a rare and temporary advantage—you can move fast. You’re not weighed down by communication silos, stakeholder opinions, or rigid processes that slow innovation. Right now, you have the freedom to truly use AI to your benefit. This window won’t last. Take advantage of it. Spend 15 minutes a day identifying a problem and testing a generative AI tool to solve it.
About Ashley Gross
Ashley Gross is recognized for delivering AI solutions that solve key business challenges for mid-market and enterprise companies. Prior to the rise of ChatGPT, she exceeded a $90 million pipeline target, reaching $115 million by addressing revenue challenges that were holding businesses back. Ashley focuses on aligning leadership and teams to ensure AI is tied directly to strategic business outcomes. She also teaches, speaks, and hosts executive workshops on AI, offering practical insights that help companies drive real, measurable results.
Brianna Miller
Marketing Director, Protenus | Connect with Brianna on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
AI is undeniably reshaping industries, but for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), one area that’s proven to be truly transformative is AI-powered content creation and personalization. For example, leveraging tools like Jasper AI, businesses can create persona-specific content with remarkable precision. Using AI-driven segmentation, you can tailor messaging, tone, and marketing strategies to resonate with distinct customer demographics. For instance, in a case study shared by a healthcare marketing leader, this approach drove a 45% increase in website traffic by creating content that aligned with audience interests and tied it into a robust SEO strategy. This kind of targeted engagement results in better time-on-site metrics and more meaningful customer interactions.
On the other hand, one of the areas that could be more hype than substance right now is fully autonomous decision-making by AI. While the idea of AI tools running marketing strategies without human input sounds futuristic, it’s not quite ready for real-world applications. AI excels at assisting decision-making, not replacing it. Tools still require strong oversight, meaningful data inputs, and a clear alignment with your business goals. Relying on AI alone for critical decisions like ad spend optimization or forecasting can lead to significant missteps if not carefully managed.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
A commonly overlooked pitfall is the complexity of managing AI in regulated industries. Businesses in sectors like finance or healthcare face unique challenges, such as compliance and data security risks. These industries require AI solutions that not only deliver outcomes but also ensure proper accountability and adherence to regulations. For example, a healthcare tech leader implemented Jasper AI within a highly regulated context by first ensuring the tool was compliant and secure. They trained the AI using internal knowledge bases to avoid data risks and ensure all outputs adhered to strict industry standards. Another challenge SMBs need to watch out for is data bias. AI systems are highly dependent on the data they’re trained on, and incomplete or skewed datasets can reinforce old trends without uncovering new opportunities. This could result in strategies that cater to the wrong audience or miss key growth areas. To counteract this, SMBs should focus on data quality from the outset. Audit your data sources, ensure they’re representative, and regularly evaluate the AI's insights within the context of your broader strategic goals.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
For SMBs aiming to stay competitive, one of the most important things to remember is that AI is a tool, not a replacement. It’s meant to enhance human expertise, not eliminate it. For instance, by implementing an AI-powered content tool like Jasper, a healthcare marketing team was able to speed up their content production while maintaining tone consistency across materials. Their small team of six used Jasper to generate full campaign assets—including email templates, LinkedIn posts, and webinar content—from a single campaign brief. This allowed them to scale operations without adding headcount, all while delivering high-quality outputs.
Additionally, adoption isn’t solely about tools; it’s also about culture. SMBs should focus on team-wide buy-in to ensure AI adoption is seamless. Providing robust training, such as Jasper’s certification program, can empower teams to extract the full value from AI tools. One health tech team reported that by equipping their staff across departments (not just marketing) with the right training, they achieved more consistent messaging even in one-to-one communications from sales and customer success teams.
Lastly, think long-term and prioritize adaptability. AI is advancing rapidly. Solutions like Salesforce and HubSpot AI are already showing promise in helping businesses analyze account-level engagement for ABM (Account-Based Marketing) campaigns. SMBs should approach AI adoption not just as a tech upgrade but as a strategic evolution aiming to drive efficiency, enhance customer experience, and uncover new growth opportunities.
About Brianna Miller
Results-driven Digital Marketing leader with over 15 years of experience in B2B healthcare and SaaS, specializing in building high-performing teams and data-driven strategies to drive business growth. Skilled in tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, and RollWorks, Brianna excels in creating impactful campaigns, optimizing lead generation, and aligning sales and marketing teams. Beyond my professional work, she is dedicated to shaping the future of marketing as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri St. Louis and active member of several advisory boards, where she mentors and contributes to the advancement of the field.
Cathy McPhillips
Chief Growth Officer, Marketing AI Institute | Connect with Cathy on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Transformative: AI-powered automation—specifically in marketing and customer service—is a game changer for SMBs. Tools that handle personalized email marketing, chatbots for customer inquiries, and AI-driven content creation free up time, reduce costs, and enhance customer engagement.
Smoke and Mirrors: AI as a one-size-fits-all solution. Many tools promise to “do it all” with little effort, but true value comes from integrating AI strategically, aligning it with business goals, and maintaining human oversight.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Under-Discussed Challenge: Data quality and bias. AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on. SMBs often lack clean, structured, and diverse datasets, leading to inaccurate insights or biased outputs--without the skills or knowledge to see and correct this. Preparation: Establish strong data collection and management practices. Invest in tools that help clean, organize, and analyze data before deploying AI-driven solutions. And always keep humans in the loop!
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Start small, experiment, and iterate. AI is most valuable when it enhances existing workflows rather than overhauling them overnight. Focus on solving a single pain point and use case first, measure impact, and scale from there.
About Cathy McPhillips
Cathy McPhillips is Chief Growth Officer at the Marketing AI Institute, overseeing marketing, growth, and customer experience, including MAICON and AI Academy for Marketers. Previously, Cathy led marketing at Content Marketing Institute and Content Marketing World, managed community growth for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, and owned her own strategic digital marketing business. Cathy was an Ohio University Jerry L. Sloan Visiting Professional in Public Relations, Folio: Top Women in Media, MarTechExec Woman You Need to Know in Martech, and 2024 Crain’s Cleveland Business Notable Leader in Communications.
Chris Carr
CEO & Founder, Dynaimix.AI | Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Without a shadow of a doubt, it's generative AI, particularly in the forms of large language models like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini for Google Workspace. Unless you've been living under a rock, these platforms have enabled businesses to significantly enhance productivity by automating routine tasks, generating high-quality content quickly, and improving customer engagement. The accessibility and ease-of-use of generative AI empower SMBs to achieve outcomes previously available only to larger enterprises, creating immediate competitive advantages. Personally, I pretty much use generative AI for 80 to 90% of the work that I do on a daily basis, whether in front of the computer or on my phone.
AGI and AI super intelligence—I believe that AGI is mostly smoke and mirrors right now. I'm not saying it's not coming, because I absolutely believe it is; in fact, I think it's coming in the near future, but there are various reasons why it remains simply out of reach at the moment. SMBs can be misled or distracted by the hype surrounding AGI and super intelligence, potentially overlooking practical and immediate AI solutions already within their reach.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
I believe the greatest pitfall SMBs face is AI literacy. Having taught artificial intelligence to businesses for the last two years, I've observed that the number one issue is businesses mistakenly assuming they're effectively utilizing AI simply because they've purchased the software. Typically, these businesses begin using AI tools from scratch each time, rather than performing the crucial pre-work and fine-tuning necessary to transform a large language model into a customized tool that genuinely reflects their brand, understands their audience, aligns with their goals, and is scalable. In my opinion, the best way to prepare for this challenge is to hire an AI consultant who can help your team navigate the "chess and checkers" of AI implementation. "Chess" refers to establishing a strategic three- to five-year roadmap outlining how to scale AI throughout your business. "Checkers" involves training your team to effectively utilize AI and large language models in everyday tasks and workflows.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
If you haven't already moved past the piloting stage with large language models like ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini, then I believe you’re late to the game. Many companies hesitate due to security and proprietary information concerns when uploading data. While security is incredibly important, I've seen great businesses fail to even take the first step toward AI adoption because they're overly cautious about these concerns. It's critical to address and resolve your security issues promptly, then confidently move forward with AI implementation. Waiting for a perfect, risk-free scenario in the distant future isn't realistic; the time to start is now.
It’s essential to upskill your employees so they understand how to leverage AI to perform tasks better, faster, and more efficiently than your competition or compared to traditional methods. You don't need to master every available AI tool, but your team must be proficient in core prompt engineering principles. The more hands-on experience your team gains with these tools, the more intuitive they become, accelerating your progress.
Critical skills include configuring your large language models to represent your organization's unique voice, pre-programming models to understand your audience and business goals, effectively communicating with data, and integrating AI into daily business tools such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations, graphic design, and even potentially video production.
About Chris Carr
Chris Carr is the founder of Farotech, a comprehensive digital marketing agency specializing in lead generation, automation, and conversion since 2001, as well as the founder of Dynaimix.ai. Since early 2021, Chris and his companies have been closely analyzing the rise of artificial intelligence and its potential to reshape the business landscape. Through years of research, workshops, and hands-on experience, he has reached a critical conclusion: the vast majority of businesses are unprepared for the massive disruption AI is bringing. Recognizing that most businesses are not ready for this disruption, Chris offers workshops and lunch-and-learns to equip businesses for the future that’s already here. A recognized thought leader in AI strategy and implementation, Chris holds Generative AI certifications from MIT and the Wharton School of Business. As a national speaker for NECA (National Electric Contractors Association) and MCA (Mechanical Contractor Association), keynote lecturer, and podcaster, he shares his insights on AI’s transformative power with businesses and conferences across the country. Additionally, Chris co-hosted the podcast "Digital Marketing Masterclass" with Andy Crestodina, an initiative to interview the top 50 content marketers in the world. Chris helps organizations understand where AI is today, where it’s headed, and how they can stay ahead of the curve. With deep expertise in AI strategy, consulting, and training, he equips businesses with the tools and knowledge needed to harness AI for innovation, growth, and long-term transformation.
Christopher S. Penn
Chief Data Scientist, TrustInsights.ai | Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
The area for SMBs that's truly transformative, for those who have the skills, is software development. Generative AI is absolutely crushing it with software development, and for the savvy small business with big ambitions and shallow pockets, any software that you see on the market that you can't afford, you can ask generative AI to help write a custom version just for your business. For example, there's a particular piece of SEO software I wanted but I didn't want to pay the $499 a month for the rest of the software. In under 45 minutes, generative AI wrote me a copy that does exactly what I want, in the data formats I want, with full access to the data, and no fees to pay.
Smoke and mirrors: use cases for agentic AI right now for non-technical SMBs. There are plenty of use cases for agents and agentic architecture. Most of them don't apply to SMBs right now, or are far too difficult and costly to spin up. They're valid use cases, but the bar to make them happen in a cost effective manner is very high.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
The biggest challenge for SMBs will be getting their data into usable formats to make use with generative AI. Businesses of all sizes are generally bad at data governance and inventory, and one of the defining factors of success with AI is whoever has the most, highest quality data will get the best results out of AI.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
AI is a tool. It amplifies what's already there. To paraphrase the Captain America movie, it makes the good into great and the bad into worse.
About Christopher S. Penn
Christopher S. Penn is an internationally renowned keynote speaker who energizes audiences with his expertise on artificial intelligence in marketing. A recognized thought leader, he demystifies complex AI concepts, providing practical strategies that empower marketers to achieve breakthrough results. Christopher’s insights on leveraging AI for data analysis, content creation, and strategic decision-making have shaped five1 key trends in the marketing industry: Google Analytics adoption, data-driven marketing and PR, modern email marketing, marketing data science, and AI/machine learning in marketing. His journey in AI began in 2013, a decade before tools like ChatGPT brought the technology into the mainstream, giving him a deep understanding of its2 nuances and potential. His work spans across diverse sectors, including agencies, consultancies, corporations, higher education, non-profits, and government agencies. His expertise is sought after by Fortune 500 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, General Electric, Google, and Ford Motor Company.
David Berkowitz
Founder, AI Marketers Guild | Connect with David on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
An area that's truly transformative is the use of AI to understand your own documents and data. There is so much power in creating private projects and libraries that can be used in various LLMs, and building up a knowledge base can ensure your preferred model keeps getting smarter. As for smoke and mirrors, the agentic future of AI is coming, but it's mostly hype right now. Every new tech tool or platform update is said to be agentic, and it's mostly just a buzzword -- for now. Don't dismiss agents, but don't expect a lot out of them today.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
It's hard to say what's under-discussed since it often feels like everything about AI is discussed to death, but I think that understanding ownership will be critical for businesses -- ownership of your own data, and what you create with AI. There is so much murkiness, and it's going to lead to all kinds of disputes. Reading the fine print of AI engines will be important when creating mission critical materials with AI. But it will also be important not to let lawyers prevent you from adopting new technology just because some of the ownership questions are still unclear.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Spend a few minutes a day trying new tools and doing more with the ones you've already tried. You can do a lot for free or for nominal costs -- it's usually an issue of prioritization, not budget.
About David Berkowitz
David Berkowitz is the founder of AI Marketers Guild and author of "The Non-Obvious Guide to Using AI for Marketing." He has contributed more than 600 columns to outlets such as Advertising Age, MediaPost, VentureBeat, and Adweek, and he has spoken at more than 400 events globally.
Emily Baillie
AI & Marketing Trainer, Professor & Speaker, Compass Content Marketing & McMaster University | Connect with Emily on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
I'm seeing SMBs make huge gains in using AI for content creation and marketing automation. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Canva’s AI features, and generative AI in email marketing platforms allow businesses to create high-quality marketing materials, streamline social media management, and personalize customer outreach at a fraction of the cost and time. Many small businesses struggle with content creation due to limited resources, and AI is helping them top get more accomplished, without needing a full in-house marketing team.
On the other hand, fully autonomous AI-driven decision-making for strategy and business planning is overhyped. While AI can provide insights and predictions, it lacks the business intuition, human experience, and nuanced understanding of market dynamics that entrepreneurs and leaders bring. SMBs that blindly trust AI for strategic decisions—without human oversight—risk making misinformed choices based on incomplete or biased data. AI is a tool, not a replacement for human expertise.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
AI systems need training. And so do the people using them. One challenge SMBs don’t talk about enough is AI slop—generic, low-quality AI-generated content flooding marketing materials, customer interactions, and internal communications. The problem isn’t just bad output; it’s the erosion of human connection. When businesses lean too heavily on AI without oversight, their messaging loses its authenticity, and audiences disengage. To avoid this, SMBs need to go beyond just learning how to use AI tools—they need to develop AI literacy. That means training teams to recognize AI’s limitations, fine-tune outputs, and keep a strong editorial hand in the process. AI is a powerful assistant, but it still requires human judgment to ensure quality, accuracy, and a brand voice that resonates. Instead of replacing human effort, the best approach is to use AI as a collaborator, refining and enhancing work rather than settling for generic, unpolished AI-generated content.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Try using more than one LLM on the same project or piece of content.
Each AI model has different strengths—some are better at creativity, others at accuracy or summarization. Personally, I like using ChatGPT-4o for idea generation and structure, then refining my work with Claude, because Claude tends to produce cleaner, more natural writing. This kind of multi-model approach helps reduce AI slop (low-quality, generic content) and results in more polished, engaging content.
About Emily Baillie
Emily Baillie is an AI and marketing speaker, trainer, and coach who helps businesses and organizations harness AI to enhance marketing, streamline operations, and drive growth. With over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, she delivers engaging workshops and hands-on corporate training sessions across Canada & beyond. Through her practical and accessible approach, Emily empowers teams to integrate AI effectively while maintaining their brand voice and ethics. She works with businesses, non-profits, and industry associations to provide customized training on AI adoption, digital marketing strategy, and content creation. She teaches digital marketing at McMaster University and is a member of the Canadian Marketing Association.
Eva Dong
Lead of AI Monetization, Google Cloud | Connect with Eva on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
AI-driven employee efficiency is genuinely transformative, but its true potential goes beyond just cost savings—it can also unlock new revenue opportunities. AI tools that automate administrative tasks and streamline workflows not only save time but also create opportunities for growth. For example, an SMB using AI-powered chatbots may initially implement them to reduce customer service costs. However, with the right strategy, those chatbots can also drive revenue by proactively upselling or cross-selling products based on customer behavior, turning a cost-cutting tool into a sales driver.
On the other hand, AI models requiring high compute or physical AI (like humanoid robots or autonomous delivery systems) are mostly smoke and mirrors for SMBs. These solutions require significant investment and infrastructure, making them impractical for businesses with lean operations. While they may be exciting in theory, they often fail to deliver tangible ROI for SMBs, especially compared to more accessible AI applications that can improve both efficiency and revenue generation.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
One under-discussed challenge SMBs face when adopting AI is focusing too much on efficiency-driven cost savings while ignoring AI’s potential to drive new revenue growth. Many SMBs implement AI to automate tasks, reduce manual effort, or streamline operations—cutting costs in the process. However, they often overlook how AI can actively generate new revenue streams, improve customer lifetime value, or create differentiated offerings. For example, an SMB using AI-powered chatbots may focus on reducing customer service labor costs. But if they shift their perspective, they could also use AI to proactively upsell or cross-sell products during interactions, turning a cost-saving tool into a revenue-generating asset. Similarly, businesses leveraging AI-driven insights to personalize marketing campaigns can increase conversion rates and customer engagement, directly impacting top-line growth. To maximize AI’s full potential, SMBs should look beyond efficiency and evaluate how AI can enhance customer experiences, unlock new markets, or create innovative business models.
About Eva Dong
Eva Dong is the Lead of AI Monetization at Google Cloud. With over 10+ years of experience, she has held transformative leadership roles at McKinsey & Co and Visa Inc. Eva's technical expertise empowers her to create significant impact through data science and AI solutions
George B. Thomas
Owner + HubSpot Helper, Sidekick Strategies | Connect with George on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
The Real Deal: AI-Powered Content Creation: Let’s get real—AI in content creation isn’t just hype, it’s a game-changer when used the right way. No, it won’t replace your creativity, but it will supercharge your workflow. Need blog outlines in seconds? AI’s on it. Stuck on a video script? Boom—first draft, ready to tweak. Struggling with social media captions? AI can give you 10 options before your coffee gets cold. Tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and HubSpot’s AI cut content creation time in half so you can focus on strategy, storytelling, and making an impact. But here’s the catch—AI is your co-pilot, not your captain. It cranks out drafts, but you bring the voice, the vision, and the vibe that make content truly connect. Want AI to work for you? Feed it context, refine the output, and never let it publish unchecked. Use it as a creative partner, not a crutch, and you’ll be producing more content, with more consistency, and less stress.
The Overhyped Mirage: AI as a “Set-It-and-Forget-It” Content Machine: Now, for the nonsense. If someone tells you AI can fully replace human-driven content creation—fire off blogs, videos, and emails that are magically perfect without your touch—they’re selling you AI snake oil. AI is a tool, not a marketing wizard. It drafts content, speeds up brainstorming, and helps you break through writer’s block, but it still needs your voice, your strategy, and your brain to make it work. Skip the lazy AI autopilot trap and use AI to enhance, not replace, your content game.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
The "AI Knowledge Gap" – Your Team Isn’t Using AI Correctly: AI tools are powerful, but here’s the catch—most teams don’t know how to use them well. They either over-rely on AI (trusting it blindly) or underutilize it (not realizing how much it can actually do). The result? Missed opportunities and subpar execution.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Stop putting off AI because you “don’t have time.” Make time. Give AI just 15 minutes every morning to explore, test, and learn. Before diving into emails or getting lost in your daily grind, ask AI a question, experiment with a new feature, or refine a prompt to get better results. Set a timer. 15 minutes. No excuses.
Now, test it. Did you discover something new? Did you refine a skill? Did it open your eyes to how AI can actually help you work smarter?
Here’s the reality—if AI can expand your knowledge in 15 minutes, imagine what’s possible when you go all in. Stop waiting. Start learning. Challenge yourself today.
About George B. Thomas
George B. Thomas is the "Chief HubSpot Helper" and owner of Sidekick Strategies and George B. Thomas, LLC. With 35+ HubSpot Academy certifications, he helps businesses streamline, scale, and make the most of HubSpot’s CRM, marketing, sales, service, operations, and CMS tools. Beyond consulting, George is an educator and creator, sharing expert insights through the HubEd Helper YouTube channel, podcast, and blog, plus his Tactical Thoughts newsletter. His passion? Helping others flourish by turning knowledge into action. When he’s not optimizing HubSpot strategies, George is on stage as a speaker and emcee—or just enjoying life as a husband, father, and friend.
James Hutson
Lead XR Disruptor, Professor and Department Head of Art History, AI, and Visual Culture, Lindenwood University | Connect with James on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
The prevailing message to SMBs has been the immediate need to integrate AI across all areas and workflows. Yet, the most practically beneficial application for SMBs to date has been AI-driven marketing automation, which efficiently identifies, engages, and converts targeted customers. Conversely, AI agents—often hyped as tools capable of replacing entire teams—have largely fallen short of expectations, failing to deliver on their promise and proving disappointing in practical implementation.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Despite the unprecedented accessibility and affordability of advanced AI technologies—capable of delivering outcomes previously unattainable for SMBs—many businesses fail to realize immediate value due to insufficient attention to workflow integration and organizational adoption. Simply acquiring advanced tools does not guarantee meaningful results; a treadmill purchased does not automatically transform its owner into a marathon runner. SMBs must therefore confront the often-overlooked challenge of genuinely embedding AI within existing workflows, which demands intentional shifts in team behaviors and processes. To overcome this barrier, businesses should initially prioritize small, purposeful AI integrations that directly enhance existing tasks or procedures. As teams experience tangible improvements, confidence in the technology grows, setting a foundation from which more ambitious and expansive integrations can effectively scale.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
SMBs must recognize that competitors likely possess access to the very same AI tools, leveling the technological playing field. Therefore, gaining a true competitive advantage hinges not merely on adopting AI, but on using these technologies strategically to augment and amplify the unique expertise, creativity, and problem-solving capabilities already present within teams. Viewing AI as a universal remedy—a panacea—is a common misstep; genuine success lies in empowering your workforce to leverage AI in ways that deepen their existing knowledge, streamline workflows, and foster innovation, rather than relying on it as a wholesale replacement.
About James Hutson
Dr. James Hutson specializes in multidisciplinary research that encompasses artificial intelligence, neurohumanities, neurodiversity, immersive realities, and the gamification of education. Earning a Bachelor of Arts in Art from the University of Tulsa, a Master of Arts in Art History from Southern Methodist University, and a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of1 Kansas, Dr. Hutson has been a professor at Lindenwood University since 2012, where he currently serves as the Chair of the Art History and AI departments. He’s also been a consultant at the Missouri History Museum since 2012. His work in Extended Reality (XR) has led to notable publications, such as chapters in "Auguste Rodin: The Hands of Genius" (2018), "The Future of Heritage Ecologies" (2023), and "Hybrid Futures" (2024). He’s presented his research at prestigious institutions, including the Musée Rodin in Paris and the Yale Center for British Art, and has co-founded several impactful organizations and initiatives, like the St. Louis Cultural Task Force and the XR Guild, demonstrating his leadership in blending technology with culture.
Joya Scarlata
Director of Marketing, InterraIT | Connect with Joya on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
In my opinion, I think an area that is becoming transforming for SMBs is the world of AI agents, especially those that are skilled in handling repetitive workflows. AI agents allow businesses to provide 24/7 customer support, for example, while freeing up limited human resources for other (and more important tasks).
On the flip slide, AI agents that advertise themselves as fully autonomous digital employees are just smoke and mirrors at the moment. This means that they are capable of handling independent business decisions without human intervention. AI agents, at this stage, still lack nuanced understanding and business context.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
One often-overlooked challenge SMBs face when adopting AI is training and upskilling their teams. Many SMBs mistakenly approach AI training as a "one-and-done" event—introducing a new tool with a single demo or tutorial and expecting immediate results. In reality, successful AI adoption requires continuous education, ongoing support, and reinforcement over time. Teams need regular refreshers, real-world examples, and hands-on workshops to fully embed AI tools into their daily workflows and strategic decision-making. Without sustained training, AI solutions either become underutilized or misunderstood, limiting their full potential and ROI. Bottom line: SMBs must treat AI training as an ongoing investment—regularly checking in, adjusting to feedback, and reinforcing learning—rather than a quick fix.
About Joya Scarlata
Joya Scarlata is a recognized AI thought leader, TEDx speaker, and director of marketing. She is also the co-host of "The Marketer's Guide to the AI Galaxy" podcast speaking on current AI topics pertaining to both B2B and B2C marketers. She regularly speaks and writes on the topic of AI and marketing.
Judi Fox
Founder, Judi Fox LinkedIn Business Accelerator | Connect with Judi on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
AI is transforming how small and medium-sized businesses handle data-heavy analysis. The AI hype is real when it comes to leveraging AI for administrative tasks and processing large amounts of business and customer data. For example, AI is incredible for:
- Customer Insights: AI can analyze large amounts of marketing data, identify customer sales patterns, and spot emerging trends to improve marketing effectiveness.
- Competitive Analysis: Review numerous competitor websites and provide actionable strategies to close any marketing gaps.
- Content Repurposing & Meeting Support: AI can quickly extract key takeaways, summarize discussions, and and simplify content distribution.
However, AI is mostly smoke and mirrors when it comes to building relationships and establishing industry thought leadership. If you're using AI to handle all your LinkedIn conversations, posts, and engagement, people will start to disengage once they realize it’s not truly you they are having a conversation with. AI is a powerful tool to support your business tasks and data, but AI can't replace human relationship building and business trust that drives long-term business success.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
One under-discussed challenge SMBs face with AI adoption is accounting for AI-generated outputs that are generic, incorrect, or lacking the ability to grasp nuance. Relying on AI-generated output without a planned oversight strategy can weaken client relationships or lower sales if AI misinterprets customer data. AI doesn’t always grasp nuance, humor, or emotional context, which can lead to inappropriate AI responses. The solution is to generate a structured human oversight strategy. Use AI as a tool to assist and enhance decision-making, while defining clear guidelines on where human oversight fits into your SMB operations. With the right approach, SMBs can turn AI into a competitive advantage.
About Judi Fox
Judi Fox is a LinkedIn Top Voice for Marketing Strategy and a Top 10 LinkedIn Coach in Yahoo Finance. She is a featured speaker at Vidsummit, Social Media Marketing World, Social Media Examiner, Video Marketing World, People of Video, and on several Top 100 Marketing Podcasts. With over 18 years experience in business development and sales, Judi Fox developed the LinkedIn Business Accelerator Method. Judi Fox works with well-known brands generating a 10x increase in sales in as little as 6 months and over 1 million content views in 90 days.
Kate Bradley Chernis
Cofounder and CEO, Lately | Connect with Kate on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Closed models that provide data-driven, personalized results (like ours) are delivering truly remarkable ROI. 99% of content delivered by generic models get ZERO engagement. The benchmark has been merely save time. But those days are over. Saving time doesn't matter if your results are garbage. It's time to ask more of your Generative AI. It's time to ask… What have you done for me, ehem, lately?
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
There is a worldwide analytical skills vacuum. It's the number one characteristic companies are desperate to hire for and unable to find. As humans, our ability to identify a problem, strategize a solution, analyze results and then course correct, as needed, are in the toilet. We've been trained for almost 3 decades now to identify solutions, not problems. This translates to: we know that we can "prompt" but we don't know what to "prompt" to get beyond the garbage. And because humans are still far and away more intelligent than artificial intelligence, it compounds the problem. AI has to learn from humans – it's a symbiotic loop. But our ability to teach it is weak due to this skills lack.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
If you're not using AI, your competitors will eat you for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
About Kate Bradley Chernis
Kate Bradley Chernis is the Cofounder and CEO of Lately, a social content creation platform merging human creativity, AI and technology for unmatched performance in marketing and top of funnel. Lately has been lauded as a leader in both the Generative AI and Collaborative AI industries by Gartner, Forrester, Research and Markets, Harvard Business Review and many others. Her career is built on the belief that a well-crafted sentence can change the world. From leading marketing at a tech startup to running her own agency and then founding Lately, Kate has mastered the ability to connect deeply with others. In her previous life, she was a rock'n'roll DJ for 18 years. Her motto, "You are a media company," is a call to action for everyone to own their voice and create content that resonates.
Katie Robbert
CEO, TrustInsights.ai | Connect with Katie on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Genuinely Transformative: Customer Service Automation
Nothing has delivered more immediate value for SMBs than intelligent customer service tools. These systems can handle routine inquiries 24/7, reduce response times from days to minutes, and free up skilled staff for higher-value work. The best part? These tools don't require massive investment or technical expertise anymore.
Mostly Smoke and Mirrors: Predictive Analytics
The promise sounds amazing, but for most SMBs, predictive analytics hasn't delivered.
Why? Most SMBs don't have enough quality data for effective predictions, the tools require significant expertise to implement correctly, and the ROI timeline is much longer than promised. Focus first on getting your data house in order. Clean data, unified systems, and good governance will set you up for success when these tools actually mature enough to deliver on their promises.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Data quality is the under-discussed challenge that can make or break an SMB's AI initiatives. Companies rush to implement AI solutions without realizing their existing data is incomplete, inconsistent, or siloed across multiple systems. When they feed this messy data into their shiny new AI tools, the results range from underwhelming to downright misleading. Preparing for this challenge means investing in data governance before AI implementation. This includes auditing your current data, standardizing collection methods, training staff on data entry best practices, and potentially consolidating systems. It's not the exciting part of AI adoption, but it's the foundation that determines whether your AI investment will deliver real value or expensive disappointment. The companies that take the time to clean their data houses get the best ROI from AI.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Experiment and try things about before going all in, and make sure you have clear and repeatable process outlined first.
About Katie Robbert
Katie Robbert is the CEO of Trust Insights, a boutique analytics and digital marketing consultancy. With 20 years of experience, Katie specializes in data-driven strategy and execution, transforming abstract concepts into actionable insights. She is committed to demystifying the complexity of data and AI, empowering businesses to use these tools confidently and effectively. As a recognized thought leader, Katie frequently speaks at industry events, leads workshops, and delivers impactful training sessions. Her focus is on developing practical, ethical AI applications tailored to the specific needs of businesses of all sizes.
Kimberly Anderson-Mutch
Director of Content, Agital | Connect with Kimberly on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Recent advancements and availability of AI technology, particularly Google's Vertex AI APIs, provide deeper insights into how essential products like Google Search evaluate content. Google's approach of embedding and vectorizing content, now made available via API, allows SEOs to semantically score their own content in alignment with Google's methodology. Tools such as Go Fish Digital's Page Similarity Score Chrome extension utilize these advancements to analyze and rate content on a scale of 0 to 10, clearly indicating how closely it matches Google's semantic expectations. This gives SMBs actionable, data-driven feedback to refine and optimize their content effectively.
On the other hand, the notion that AI can completely replace human writers is mostly smoke and mirrors. AI-generated content relies heavily on the quality of the input data and guidance provided. While AI can produce high-quality, optimized text when directed properly, it often falls short in delivering depth, originality, and strategic direction independently. Human oversight remains crucial—not merely to correct AI-generated content, but to guide it strategically toward meaningful and high-performing results.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
One often overlooked challenge SMBs face when adopting AI is the necessity for thorough training and a deep understanding of these powerful tools. AI solutions require strategic implementation and informed interaction to deliver their full potential. SMBs that rush to adopt AI without investing in proper training or truly understanding how the systems work often miss out on significant benefits and can even face setbacks. To prepare effectively, businesses should prioritize education and hands-on experience, ensuring their teams are proficient in both the strengths and limitations of AI technologies. This foundational knowledge enables SMBs to leverage AI effectively, turning potential pitfalls into genuine competitive advantages.
About Kimberly Anderson-Mutch
I have over 15 years of experience in crafting engaging narratives and building strong connections between brands and their audiences through a multi-channel approach. My dedication to content marketing consistently meets and exceeds marketing and sales goals, establishing brands as leaders in their industries. For the past decade, my focus has been on content strategy and development, utilizing advanced SEO, growth tactics, campaign marketing design, storytelling, audience growth, demand generation, and keyword research. My proven track record includes boosting website traffic, social media engagement, lead generation, and conversions through both organic and paid efforts. With extensive experience managing agency partners, graphic designers, and writers, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, I excel at driving complex projects to success.
Kinsey Soderberg
Founder and Storyteller, Authentic AI® | Connect with Kinsey on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Using a HUMAN-first approach to AI tools is how small business owners can save up to 15 hours a week (easily) without sacrificing your brand's authenticity, thought leadership, or quality of work. How do you do this? Bring your own thoughts, ideas, and expertise TO your AI assistant, instead of thinking it's going to do all the thinking for you. Treat ChatGPT like your creative collaborator that helps you clarify, expand, organize, and refine your existing ideas. For me, AI isn’t just about automation; it’s how I work through my thoughts. I brain-dump into ChatGPT daily. It helps me organize my to-do list, expand on half-baked ideas, and even work through mindset blocks when they pop up in the day-to-day of my business. The magic happens when you bring your own voice, your own expertise, and let AI support you instead of replacing you. When you use AI this way? It’s not intimidating. It’s not complicated. And it actually saves time while keeping your authenticity and thought leadership intact.
On the opposite side of the coin: What’s mostly just hype?
The obsession with "Prompt Engineering". People act like there’s some secret formula to writing prompts that will unlock AI’s full potential, but I get my best results when I talk to it like a human and make it a conversation. I see too many people getting caught up in "perfect" prompts when they really just need to talk to ChatGPT like a person. You don’t need a 10-step formula, or even correct spelling or grammar! Instead, talk to it as if you were texting a business coach, biz bestie, mindset coach, etc. Just tell it what you're thinking, and go back and forth with it casually. It will actually learn from you, pick up on your language cues, and respond in a way that feels authentic.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
AI can make you over-automate (and lose your personal touch)...
Once you see how much time AI can save, it’s easy to fall into the "set it and forget it" trap. You automate too much and suddenly your brand starts feeling... cold.
Always remember to use a HUMAN-first (*and* human-last) approach. Yes, bring your own thoughts and ideas to the tool to begin with... and also, make sure you run the final results through the filter of your brand! Make a rule: Anything outward-facing gets a human review before it goes live. 👍
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
I heard someone say recently: "AI isn't going to take your job, but someone who knows how to use AI is." Long story short: AI is here to stay. (It's like the second coming of the internet, only 10 years of progress is compacted into 1 year and it's only going to keep improving.)
The best thing you can do is start getting curious about AI tools now. You don't have to completely AI-ify your business immediately. Start one tool, one task, one day at a time. And quickly, you'll get more and more comfortable with these tools (and you won't be falling behind.)
About Kinsey Soderberg
With her brand and podcast Authentic AI®, Kinsey helps down-to-earth entrepreneurs leverage AI tools in your business without wasting your time or sacrificing your authenticity. She focuses on a human-first approach to AI that brings your brand along for the ride and lets you focus on what really matters in your biz.
Mark Schaefer
Author of "Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World", Schaefer Marketing Solutions | Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Most transformation is that essentially, the economic value of intelligence is now zero. If you think about it, all organizations are created in terms of organizing and rewarding intelligence. What happens when intelligence is a commodity? AI is more of a leadership issue than a tech issue. Over-hyped is the mistakes and hallucinations. Press coverage on dumb things might make people think they can ignore this. You can't.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
The rate of change is probably more challenging than the change itself. Human are not built to do well with rapid change, and neither are organizations. We need to stay focused on the waves of change that will impact our businesses the most.
About Mark Schaefer
Mark W. Schaefer is a globally-recognized author, keynote speaker, futurist, and business consultant who blogs at {grow} — one of the top five marketing blogs of the world. He teaches graduate marketing classes at Rutgers University and has written 10 best-selling books. Mark’s new book Belonging to the Brand: Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy describes an essential new path to connect to customers in the modern digital world.
His many global clients include Pfizer, Cisco, Dell, Adidas, and the US Air Force. He has been a keynote speaker at prestigious events all over the world, including SXSW, Marketing Summit Tokyo, and the Institute for International and European Affairs. Mark has appeared as a guest on media channels such as CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and CBS News.
Michael Stelzner
Founder & CEO, Social Media Examiner | Connect with Michael on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Most marketers, creators, and entrepreneurs are overlooking using AI to help them strategically work out complex problems. Said another way, using AI to help you think through the pros and cons of big decisions is a powerful function of AI most are ignoring. Try using this prompt: You are a world-class strategist who specializes in [the area you need help]. I am going to present a challenge I am facing to you. I would like you to ask me a series of questions and then provide guidance to me.
Too often we are only trying out one AI model and not experimenting across models to see which ones are providing the most useful output. If you are all-in ChatGPT, try experimenting with Claude and Gemini. You might find using multiple models provides you much better insights than just a single model.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Too often we are only trying out one AI model and not experimenting across models to see which ones are providing the most useful output. If you are all-in ChatGPT, try experimenting with Claude and Gemini. You might find using multiple models provides you much better insights than just a single model.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
If you want to learn more about how to put AI to work, try checking out the AI Explored podcast.
About Michael Stelzner
Michael is the founder of Social Media Examiner and Social Media Marketing World. He's also host of the AI Explored podcast.
Mike Russell
Founder, Creator Magic | Connect with Mike on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Transformative: No code AI app builders like Lovable, Cursor, and Replit. These tools let non-coders create custom AI solutions fast like internal dashboards, customer apps, automation tools. The real power is in connecting AI to external data sources via APIs... letting you build AI tools that interact with real systems.
Smoke and Mirrors: Fully autonomous "AI agents" that supposedly need zero oversight. Despite progress most "agents" still need significant human setup and babysitting. Many products marketed as "AI agents" are just fancy chatbots or task schedulers and not truly independent systems.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Data privacy risks! When using cloud AI you're sending potentially sensitive business data to big corps. Review privacy policies carefully. Consider running models locally with tools like LM Studio when possible and prioritize services with strong data protection.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Start small with practical AI that solves real problems. Skip the AGI hype and focus on quick wins using no code tools your team can handle. Protect your data from day one and stay updated through communities like Creator Magic ;)
About Mike Russell
AI educator and YouTuber focused on practical applications of AI tools and no code development. Creator of the Creator Magic community and YouTube channel.
Milou Pietersz
Fractional CMO + Social Media Strategist, Simply Multimedia | Connect with Milou on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
AI tools that simplify content creation for business owners, not just experienced creators, are truly transformative. Opus Clip, for example, helps scale content output efficiently, while Adobe Firefly makes high-quality design accessible to businesses of all sizes. On the other hand, many AI tools are just smoke and mirrors, they're riding the AI’s hype without offering actual long-term value. The real test is which tools will still be around in a few years. In my opinion, platforms like ChatGPT and Claude will remain relevant because they enhance productivity, from analyzing data to helping brands and creators break through creative blocks.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
One under-discussed challenge for SMBs adopting AI is the risk of plagiarism and copyright issues. Many AI tools generate content using scraped internet data, which can lead to legal and ethical concerns. That’s why I recommend tools like Adobe Firefly, which ensure all AI-generated content is commercially safe and not pulled from unauthorized sources. Businesses should prioritize AI solutions with transparent sourcing and usage rights to avoid potential legal pitfalls.
About Milou Pietersz
The content creator and founder of a half-a-million-dollar marketing agency, Milou Pietersz, went from being ghosted by every agency she applied to, now having built a team of her own. Her agency, Simply Multimedia, provides and executes innovative marketing strategies while she "coaches the competition," sharing best social media practices with her 60,000+ Instagram followers and 15,000+ YouTube subscribers.
Molly Mahoney
CEO and Founder, The Prepared Performer | Connect with Molly on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Transformative AI: One area of AI that’s genuinely transformative for small and medium-sized businesses right now is AI-powered content creation and automation. AI can help streamline social selling, generate engaging content, and optimize customer interactions without losing authenticity. Tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and AI-based automation systems can help businesses stay consistent with messaging while freeing up time for meaningful human connection.
Just Smoke and Mirrors: The idea that AI can fully replace human relationships in sales and marketing is mostly hype. Automation can amplify reach, but businesses that rely entirely on AI without genuine engagement and storytelling will struggle. AI is a tool to enhance authenticity, not replace it.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
A major challenge that isn’t talked about enough is over-reliance on AI leading to brand dilution. When businesses rely too much on automated responses, AI-generated posts, or generic templates, their content starts to feel robotic. This makes it harder to stand out in a crowded digital space. How to Prepare:
- Use AI as an assistant, not a replacement. AI should support and streamline content creation, but human touchpoints are still essential.
- Build AI-powered systems that enhance your unique voice. The AI Confidence Blueprint (Align, Build, Customize) ensures AI works for you while keeping your messaging authentic.
- Prioritize engagement over automation. Set aside time for personal interactions with your audience, even if AI helps schedule or draft content.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
- Your "weird" is your superpower. Authenticity wins over automation. Don’t lose your unique voice in a sea of AI-generated content.
- AI is a tool, not a crutch. If it doesn’t save time and improve connection, rethink how you're using it.
- Invest in systems that create time abundance. The best AI strategies free up time for creativity and relationships instead of adding to the workload.
About Molly Mahoney
With viral videos reaching up to 39 million views and features in Forbes and Inc., Moly Mahoney, known as The Prepared Performer, blends AI-powered strategy with authentic human connection. Molly is a Digital Marketing Growth Strategist who helps coaches and agency owners create content that converts. Having performed on stages from New York City to Las Vegas, and as a current board member at Chance Theater in Anaheim, Molly brings humor and heart to social media and firmly believes… the more fun you have, the more money you’ll make. She is the author of 5 books including Choose Confidence, a children’s book called Finding My Awesome, and the upcoming Ai-ify™ Your Business. On her Authentically Awesome Podcast, she shares insights on marketing, mindset, and meaningful connections. When she’s not coaching her clients, she’s singing jazz or standing for joy with her family from their home in California.
Nayana Guerrero
Department Director of Leadership and Management, Tec de Monterrey | Connect with Nayana on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
AI can generate significant positive and disruptive change. On the one hand, the area of AI experiencing genuine transformation is large language models (LLMs). These models are revolutionizing industries by facilitating human-like text generation in chatbots, content creation, and customer service applications. On the other hand, AI will never replace human creativity, emotional understanding, collaboration, and, most of all, human connection. Therefore, small and medium-sized businesses should embrace AI. AI complements human intelligence instead of replacing it—automating tasks and offering insights that allow owners to concentrate on growing their businesses.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Business leaders must embrace AI and act swiftly to stay competitive in the future. The most effective preparation involves identifying a niche and excelling within it, while also understanding their customers' needs thoroughly.
About Nayana Guerrero
Dr. Nayana Guerrero is a Mexican and French social scientist. She serves as the Department Director of Leadership and Management at Tec de Monterrey and is a lecturer at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Dr. Guerrero teaches courses on strategic business management, the role of business in society, women's leadership, and the impact of new technologies on society. Throughout her career, she has conducted research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and gender leadership.
Nicole Leffer
CMO AI Advisor, A. Catalyst, LLC | Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
For small and medium businesses, structured AI automations - built with tools like Zapier, Make, and sometimes incorporating ChatGPT via actions - are leading to genuine business transformation. These automations allow businesses to create predictable, intelligent workflows that save time and reduce both human and AI error. On the flip side, autonomous "AI Agents" are largely overhyped at this stage. The promise of fully independent AI handling business tasks sounds great, but the reality is that agentic technology is still unreliable, inconsistent, and carries significant risks. The technology simply isn’t there yet (keyword "YET," it will be soon) - at least not in a way that’s reliable enough for real-world SMB operations. Right now, the smartest AI investments beyond tools like ChatGPT and Claude for SMBs are in controlled, structured automation environments.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
One of the biggest AI missteps SMBs make is tool overload. They stack on AI solutions without mastering the ones they already have - leading to redundancy, wasted budgets, and underutilized tech. The smarter approach? Start with one foundational AI tool - like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini - and learn it inside out. Only introduce additional tools when there's a clear capability gap, and integrate them strategically. AI is powerful, but only when it’s actually used well.
About Nicole Leffer
Nicole Leffer is a seasoned marketing leader and a widely recognized expert in deploying generative AI technology to improve marketing efficiency, quality, and outcomes. With vast experience in leveraging generative AI across various marketing domains, Nicole equips marketers and revenue team members with essential AI skills and strategies to boost efficiency, quality, and results. Her AI training sessions for marketing teams and online course give marketers immediately actionable insights to integrate generative AI tools like ChatGPT effectively into workflows and maximize AI’s potential across projects and strategies. An early adopter, she has over 3.5 years of direct, hands-on experience using AI tools and strategies, complemented by a year of leading a B2B SaaS marketing team that utilized AI. She began training other marketing leaders and teams on how to effectively implement generative AI full-time in early 2023. Today, she provides AI training solutions to marketing teams at all stages of AI adoption, helping accelerate their AI transition and build their AI skills to achieve marketing and revenue goals. She also has a popular online course, "Foundations of Generative AI for B2B Marketing."
Niki Dunagin
AI Consultant and Educator, The Creative Copilot | Connect with Niki on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
In my experience, too many people are constantly distracted by the latest and "greatest" new tool that's rolling out. Every time I've hopped onto a consultation call I get asked if I've tried X, Y, Z and the answer is always an honest no. As small business owners we're busy, we can't keep distracting ourselves by constantly chasing what might be better (and rarely is). I teach my students and clients to choose one tool (typically ChatGPT or Claude) and really focus on build out their knowledge of how to use it best for their business. I think people are surprised I just use ChatGPT for everything and once they realize that's how I operate they realize they can too. CustomGPTs are still the bread and butter of my business and for the people I've worked with. I've been extremely excited to see that most people who've worked with me in some capacity are ahead of the curve with creating CustomGPTs for their businesses and are now working on implementing them into their new offers as innovative features. As more people create courses and programs there will definitely be more AI chatbots featured in some capacity.
I think a potential pitfall people fall into with any sort of advice or tool is they think it's the "magic fix" to their business. I still see a lot of people posting captions and posts that clearly read as something they copy and pasted straight out of ChatGPT without any of their own perspective or voice. When I teach building CustomGPTs I start by having students create "Operation Manuals" that they can just drop into their GPT's trainings. On one hand it feels more familiar to them because they feel like their training an assistant rather than a tool, but it's also a very in-depth doc that can become 20+ pages when fully filled out with everything about their business. If you can't explain your business, AI isn't going to understand it either and that lack of communication is going to be present in anything it creates for you.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Leveraging AI shouldn't feel like another item on your to-do list. It should feel fun, easy and natural. When it feels difficult to work with, I tend to find it means there is a lack of communication from the user. Delegating and providing feedback are skills that are important and take time to learn- even if you hired a human instead!
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Leveraging AI shouldn't feel like another item on your to-do list. It should feel fun, easy and natural. When it feels difficult to work with, I tend to find it means there is a lack of communication from the user. Delegating and providing feedback are skills that are important and take time to learn- even if you hired a human instead!
About Niki Dunagin
Niki is an educator and consultant in the AI space, focused on how AI can be a powerful tool for efficiency and a force for creative transformation for entrepreneurs. She consults and educates creative entrepreneurs on how to build AI teams that function as creative assistants—deeply understanding their business as well as they do. By leveraging AI not just for automation, but as a strategic partner in ideation and execution, Niki helps entrepreneurs streamline operations, enhance creativity, and innovate their offers with customGPTs. Her approach ensures AI is an asset that amplifies entrepreneurs' visions, rather than replacing their unique expertise.
Phil Pallen
Brand Strategist, Phil Pallen Collective | Connect with Phil on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Transformative AI: Right now, the most genuinely transformative AI area for small and medium-sized businesses is content creation and marketing automation. Tools like generative AI for social media, email marketing, and video production are drastically reducing the time and cost required to maintain an online presence. SMBs can now scale their branding efforts, personalize outreach, and optimize content without needing a large team or budget. AI-driven tools like chatbots and smart email assistants are also reshaping customer service by automating responses while maintaining personalization. This used to be resource-intensive!
Smoke and Mirrors: On the other hand, AI-driven business strategy and decision-making is still more hype than reality for many SMBs. While AI can provide insights, the idea that it can autonomously replace strategic thinking is misleading. Many AI analytics tools promise deep business insights, but they still require human intuition, context, and industry expertise to be useful. SMBs who rely too heavily on AI for strategic decision-making without understanding its limitations may end up chasing trends rather than making data-backed decisions.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
One major challenge not being discussed enough is AI hallucination and misinformation—especially for small businesses relying on AI-generated content, customer interactions, or research. AI tools are incredibly powerful, but they can also fabricate information or generate biased outputs that could mislead business decisions or damage credibility. How SMBs Can Prepare:
Human Oversight: No matter how advanced AI becomes, it should be a co-pilot, not a replacement for human review, especially in customer-facing content or data-driven decisions. AI Literacy Training: SMB owners and teams should understand the technology's limitations to accurately spot and correct potential AI errors. Verified Sources: Prioritize AI that uses data from reputable, verifiable sources. This greatly reduces the risk of hallucinations. Regular Audits: Regularly check AI outputs for inconsistencies, biases, or factually incorrect information.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
AI adoption should be gradual and strategic—identify one pain point (e.g., email management, content creation, or workflow automation) and implement AI incrementally rather than overhauling everything at once.
If a process is inefficient, AI might amplify the problem rather than solve it. Before adopting AI, make sure the underlying workflows and data structures are solid.
AI is changing rapidly, so SMBs should approach it with a mindset of experimentation and iteration. What works today may need tweaking in six months.
AI is an incredible opportunity, but it’s not a magic bullet!
About Phil Pallen
Phil Pallen is a brand strategist who believes in clarity and authenticity. He helps ambitious people build standout brands. His expertise has been featured on CNN, BBC, Access Hollywood, and he’s coached clients in nearly 40 countries. Based in Los Angeles, he also has a social media following of over 200,000.
Satej Sirur
Co-founder and CEO, Rocketium | Connect with Satej on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
LLMs are great at generating first drafts, concepts, or surface-level analysis. They are fabulous co-pilots who can help SMBs cut down the time taken for research, coming up with different ideas, summarizing documents, and processing a ton of data. AI is still far from doing the end-to-end work and it should not be used to generate final copy, translate, create final design, or do complex calculations.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
LLMs and, more broadly, AI has had the fastest adoption of any technology / product in history. There is hardly any first-mover advantage and everyone is more or less in the same place. This means AI cannot be any SMB's true advantage, especially if it is AI built and maintained by someone else and given to everyone else.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Use AI like a scalpel to cut through smaller tasks within your larger work day instead of a sledgehammer to replace everything that you do with one prompt / workflow.
About Satej Sirur
Satej is the co-founder and CEO of Rocketium. He loves working on hard problems especially ones that accelerate human creativity and innovation. His time as an early member of AWS and Microsoft helped him build Rocketium's strong culture. He is a dad to #TwoUnderTwo and five cats. He loves playing board games and talking about basketball.
Sharon Gai
CEO, Culture Fluid | Connect with Sharon on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
One area that has really changed for SMBs is: using Generative AI-powered tools for content creation and marketing automation. Tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, Midjourney, and Canva's Magic Design empower SMBs to generate high-quality written content, visuals, emails, and social media posts rapidly, affordably, and at scale. This democratizes creativity and helps smaller businesses compete effectively with larger enterprises by significantly boosting productivity and brand visibility without heavy investment. In my keynotes and workshops, I teach SMB's exactly this: how to do more with less!
One area that's mostly smoke and mirrors: Overly complex "AI-powered predictive analytics" for SMBs. Many companies market sophisticated predictive analytics and data-driven AI forecasting tools claiming to predict customer behavior or market trends. In reality, for most SMBs, these tools often provide minimal actionable insight beyond traditional analytics, while adding unnecessary complexity and expense. SMBs are better served initially by clear, straightforward analytics solutions that offer transparent insights rather than expensive "black box" predictive tools with inflated promises.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Over-reliance on AI tools. Some companies use it not enough, some too much and too often. When we put everything through an AI answer machine, we forget to think ourselves. When businesses heavily depend on AI to craft content, messaging, or strategies, they risk blending into a sea of sameness. AI, after all, synthesizes information based on existing patterns—which means relying solely on it may result in generic, predictable content that lacks originality and authentic human perspective. Over time, teams can become complacent, losing their ability to think creatively, problem-solve independently, or distinguish their unique value in the marketplace.
About Sharon Gai
Sharon Gai is an expert in AI and innovation. She helps organizations become agile disruptors in their industries so they can increase revenue and retain users. In her tenure at Alibaba, she advised brands and heads of state in crafting their digital strategy with programmatic marketing and AI. She has worked with TEDx, Singularity University, UBS, Deloitte, Walmart, LVMH, Nestle, Tetra Pak, Twilio and many others. She is in the AAE list of Top Keynote Speakers in 2023. She is a RETHINK Retail’s Top Retail Expert and a LinkedIn Community Top Voice in 2024. She has appeared on Bloomberg, Reuters, ABC, CBC, CCTV, TechCrunch, Retail Asia, Wired, and The Next Web. She is the author of the book, Ecommerce Reimagined. Sharon has an Honors Bachelor’s degree in International Development from McGill and a Masters in Information Management from Columbia University. When she is not globetrotting (thank you, speaking gigs!), she is jamming on the electric keyboards or making people laugh in New York’s stand up comedy scene.
Sunny Hunt
CEO & Chief Customer Nerd, Hunt Interaction | Connect with Sunny on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
AI can be an immense time saver for small and medium-sized businesses and help transform their time to execution on a multitude of tasks from data analysis, enhancing existing strategies, creating outlines, and helping to fill in gaps in thinking or processes. They're incredible time-savers but you can run the risk of cutting out the human or emotional connections, especially in marketing and sales teams. One area where a lot of businesses are looking for shortcuts is by pulling customer or prospect buying decision criteria out of these tools instead of asking their customers or doing customer insights research. Generative AI tools and even synthetic user data lack the nuance, emotions, and voice of customer data their customers use and express when making buying decisions. It's this unique data that, when operationalized to fill success gaps in the customer journey, creates a competitive moat that helps businesses stand apart. Another misunderstood area is that generative AI tools are great end-to-end content creation tools. While they can be helpful in generating outlines or even rough drafts, they not good for thought leadership content or highly personalized content that leans on human experiences and emotions to make connections with the audience.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
I've seen businesses of all sizes discuss how AI tools can replace staff members. "If I get you a Chat GPT license, when can we start reducing headcount?" as if these tools were an "easy" button that can be pushed to get some amazing result with zero effort. AI tools aren't replacements for people, they're tools that can accelerate productivity in specific areas and to know when and how to incorporate them, they still require training, pilot programs and even building business cases to figure out which tasks and projects to pilot first.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Keep using AI tools. Find and create repeatable processes around the tasks that save you time without compromising on quality. Keep challenging yourself and your team to find new use cases for these tools to save time.
About Sunny Hunt
Sunny Hunt is a Customer Growth Architect for service-selling companies, developing customer-centered plans and blueprints for growing profitable customers. Sunny’s worked with various companies, including Oracle, TechSmith, BCBS of Arizona, Clearwater Benefits, and DHL, helping them quantify customer value and develop strategies that support long-term customer growth. She’s developed a unique ability to blend customer insights and growth strategies and leans on her history as an operator to right-size recommendations for teams.
Susan Westwater
Marketing AI Transformation Expert | Co-Founder, Pragmatic Digital | Connect with Susan on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
While generative AI can deliver efficiencies and shortcut content creation, there is a much more transformative opportunity internally through AI applications that can facilitate information sharing and decision-making. For example, combining conversational and generative AI can unlock insights and knowledge across teams by making it easier for them to capture and access reporting, technical documentation, sales data, and customer support data. This enables a shared knowledge base across the organization that can be accessed using natural language (e.g. What were last month's sales numbers?) versus a lengthier manual process. That same knowledge base can also be used to assist customer support to provide a better, more tailored response to customer inquiries.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
Research continues to support the importance of AI to businesses but there is still a struggle with knowing where to start and how to prioritize efforts. It's incredibly easy to fall into the trap of developing a long-term, vanity project that doesn't deliver business value because it doesn't support getting, delivering, growing, or running the business. Starting with the core business challenges and objectives instead of the technology avoids this misalignment. Working against an actionable roadmap that breaks efforts into short, medium, and long term initiatives ensures forward momentum and progress.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Organizational AI adoption requires a combination of cross-functional collaboration, change management, and empowerment. It has to be championed from the top down to ensure buy-in and usage of AI. This approach legitimizes AI within the organization and gives teams, who likely are secretly using AI, permission to experiment within their existing workflows and socialize their learnings so they can be captured and documented.
About Susan Westwater
With over 20 years of experience at top agencies like Leo Burnett, Frankel, and Ogilvy Impact, Susan Westwater helps marketing leaders turn AI from a buzzword into a business advantage. As co-founder of Pragmatic Digital, she specializes in making AI practical for enhancing customer engagement and driving growth. A recognized thought leader, Susan is also a co-author of two books, including Voice Marketing, which was named a finalist for the prestigious Leonard L. Berry Marketing Book Award from the American Marketing Association.
Tim Hayden
CEO, BrainTrust Partners | Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
- having your GA4 tags in order will help with Google Search, and better alongside a consistent content game: have the many permutations or Gemini driving inquiry and traffic your way. - the notion that a "good prompt engineering game" will save you hours each week is smoke, and the idea that public LLMs have the intelligence or the configurability to work with your business culture, workflows, and customer preferences is all mirrors.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
In using public models, there is the constant threat of operational interruption, hallucinations, and downtime. On the flip side, vendor-provided applied and generative AI tools are likely to rise in price and the costs of compute and power usage fluctuate. The greatest under-discussed issue surrounds knowledge transfer. You know the most intimate domain and cultural nuances about your business, customers, and markets in which you operate. Choose your AI wisely, and ensure you can train certain model services on your first-party data, securely and privately. More than anything be thoughtful and considerate about the tribal and institutional knowledge (between your ears and in your heart, not your CRM or email) that defines your brand and employee/customer experiences. You can't automate or make artificial that which you've lived and what others expect from you.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Explore "entity" and "identity resolution" of your data. There are many resources and tools to help you clean your intelligence (data), and that improves operations and reduces costs. Then, you are AI-ready, and can explore open source systems and supercompute services that grow your business traffic and profit margins.
About Tim Hayden
25 years of net positive change guidance and building the future of business.
Warwick Davies
Principal, The Event Mechanic! | Connect with Warwick on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
Making Yourself an Expert in Any Subject Quickly, Making Sure You Are Collecting The Right Data to Do Valuable Predictive Analysis, Make it Mandatory for All Staff to Use AI Their Jobs
Building events from scratch is now possible, the negativity around adopting it is smoke and mirrors.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
You need to understand the context of what you are doing and who you are doing it for before undertaking AI projects.
Any other comments or advice for SMBs?
Make it Mandatory for All Staff to Use AI Their Jobs
Make sure you understand your customers, this will be a guide as to which AI projects to undertake.
About Warwick Davies
Warwick Davies is a seasoned events industry expert with over 30 years of experience in business development, strategic marketing, and event management. As Principal at The Event Mechanic!, he has helped event organizers drive revenue, increase attendance, and build market-leading events. He has founded and led multiple organizations, including The Annabelle Project, a mentorship initiative supporting diverse talent in the events industry. Warwick is also the Editor and Publisher of Events Matter! and a recognized thought leader in event strategy, sponsorship engagement, and audience acquisition.
Mike Allton
Chief Storyteller, Agorapulse | Owner, The AI Hat | Connect with Mike on LinkedIn
AI hype is everywhere, but for small and medium-sized businesses, what's one area of AI that's genuinely transformative right now, and what's one area that's mostly just smoke and mirrors?
For SMBs, AI is proving truly transformative in its ability to democratize sophisticated tools. Think about it: AI can now analyze vast datasets to uncover customer insights, automate personalized marketing campaigns, and provide 24/7 customer support through chatbots. These were once the exclusive domain of large enterprises, but now, even the smallest business can leverage them to compete and grow. It's like giving a local shop the same marketing firepower as Amazon—a real game-changer.
However, the idea that AI can entirely replace human intuition and creativity in business strategy is mostly smoke and mirrors. AI is a powerful tool, but it lacks the context, emotional intelligence, and innovative spark that humans bring. As any business owner in St. Louis knows, success often hinges on those intangible factors: understanding the local culture, building trust through personal relationships, and coming up with creative solutions to unique challenges. AI can assist with these things, but it can't truly replicate them.
Beyond the obvious benefits, what's one under-discussed challenge or potential pitfall SMBs are likely to encounter as they increasingly adopt AI, and how can they prepare for it?
One under-discussed challenge is the risk of "AI drift"—where AI systems gradually become less accurate or effective over time. This happens because the real world is constantly changing, while the data AI was trained on becomes outdated. Imagine an AI chatbot trained on customer service interactions from 2024 trying to handle the questions and concerns of customers in 2025! To prepare for this, SMBs need to build in regular maintenance and updating of their AI systems. This isn't just a technical task; it requires ongoing monitoring of AI performance, gathering new data, and retraining the AI to stay relevant and effective. It's like tuning up a car—neglect it, and you'll eventually break down.
About Mike Allton
Mike Allton is the Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse, where he helps businesses harness the power of social media to tell their brand stories. He is also the owner of The AI Hat, an AI consulting and training business, and host of The AI Hat Podcast, featuring interviews with leading AI experts. With over a decade of experience in digital marketing, Mike is passionate about empowering businesses to leverage AI to enhance their marketing, sales, and customer service efforts. His unique approach, the H.U.M.A.N. Framework, emphasizes the importance of keeping the human element at the forefront of AI implementation.
Summary of Key Insights
This roundup of expert opinions reveals several key trends and insights that can guide SMBs in their AI adoption journey:
- AI is a Powerful Tool, Not a Magic Bullet:
- Many experts emphasized that AI is most effective when used to augment human capabilities, not replace them.
- AI excels at automating tasks, analyzing data, and improving efficiency, but it still requires human oversight, strategy, and creativity.
- As Christopher S. Penn aptly put it, "AI is a tool. It amplifies what's already there. To paraphrase the Captain America movie, it makes the good into great and the bad into worse."
- Focus on Practical Applications:
- Several contributors highlighted the transformative potential of AI in areas like content creation, marketing automation, and customer service.
- AI tools can help SMBs personalize customer experiences, streamline workflows, and achieve more with limited resources.
- However, experts cautioned against getting caught up in the hype surrounding more futuristic AI applications like fully autonomous agents, which are not yet ready for widespread adoption.
- Data is Crucial:
- A recurring theme was the importance of data quality and management for successful AI implementation.
- AI is only as good as the data it's trained on, and SMBs need to prioritize clean, structured, and representative datasets to avoid inaccurate insights and biased outputs.
- AI Literacy is Essential:
- Many experts stressed the need for AI literacy among SMB owners and employees.
- This includes understanding AI's capabilities and limitations, knowing how to use AI tools effectively, and developing a strategic approach to AI adoption.
- Human-Centered Approach:
- Several contributors emphasized the importance of balancing AI implementation with a human-centered approach.
- While AI can automate tasks, it's crucial to maintain the human touch in customer interactions, content creation, and overall business strategy.
Wrapping Up
The insights shared by these 33 AI experts provide a valuable roadmap for SMBs seeking to navigate the AI landscape. By focusing on practical applications, prioritizing data quality, developing AI literacy, and maintaining a human-centered approach, SMBs can harness the transformative power of AI to drive growth, efficiency, and innovation.
Next Steps
If you'd like to see where your team's hours are actually going before you change anything, take the AI Opportunity Score. It takes about three minutes, shows you how many hours a week your team could get back, and gets you a starter crew member built for the biggest one.
Subscribe to The AI Hat Podcast to continue your learning journey, and for those businesses interested in more hands-on help, consider the benefit of bespoke training.
