CHICAGO — Small businesses across the United States are increasingly turning to automation and artificial-intelligence tools as they attempt to control labor costs and improve productivity.
The trend is changing how restaurants, retailers, manufacturers and professional-service companies operate.
Automation Moves Beyond Large Corporations
For years, automation was primarily associated with major corporations that could afford expensive technology systems.
That is changing.
Cloud-based software and AI services have made automation accessible to smaller companies.
Businesses can now automate customer-service responses, accounting tasks, inventory management, marketing and scheduling without building their own technology platforms.
For small-business owners, the appeal is straightforward.
Automation can reduce repetitive work and allow employees to concentrate on tasks that require human judgment.
However, the transition is not always easy.
Employees need training, while business owners must decide which tasks should remain under human control.
There are also concerns about data security and reliability.
A technology failure could disrupt operations for companies that become heavily dependent on automated systems.
Despite those risks, adoption is expected to continue.
Small businesses are facing pressure from wages, insurance costs, rent and other operating expenses.
Technology offers one potential way to improve productivity without constantly increasing prices.
The trend could also reshape the labor market.
Workers with strong technology skills may become more valuable, while businesses could reduce hiring for highly repetitive positions.
Economists are watching the development closely because widespread productivity gains could help offset some of the inflationary pressures created by rising labor costs.
For small businesses, however, the immediate motivation is practical: doing more work with fewer resources.
