The article outlines how small and midsized businesses are increasingly experimenting with Artificial Intelligence tools, often starting from informal trials and side projects. According to a new survey, “Fifty-three percent (53%) of SMBs are already using AI in their businesses and 29% plan to in the next year.” The same survey found that “Just 18% don’t have any plans to use it at all,” with the most hesitant companies being those with fewer than 20 employees. These holdouts commonly cite a lack of relevance, limited internal expertise, and security concerns as reasons to avoid Artificial Intelligence, but the author argues that thoughtful policies and awareness of risks can help businesses benefit without exposing themselves to unnecessary danger.
The reported adoption is already delivering measurable value. The article notes that “Two-thirds of the businesses in the survey are seeing benefits to their AI implementation, and about half say AI is creating high or even transformational value across different areas of their businesses.” Organizations are using Artificial Intelligence to automate repetitive workflows and uncover data-driven insights, which can be especially useful for growing businesses with constrained resources. Sales and marketing, along with customer service, are experiencing the most significant jumps in adoption, while functions such as human resources and finance are moving more slowly. For leaders unsure where to begin, the piece suggests low-risk entry points like using Artificial Intelligence to create graphics for internal presentations or to refine non confidential customer emails, helping teams learn effective prompting and communication with the tools.
The article also highlights practical ways to increase efficiency, such as deploying customer service chatbots to answer simple or off hours questions so human staff can focus on complex issues. At the same time, it stresses that security must remain a priority, especially when using consumer tools like ChatGPT or Claude. Businesses are warned that they “should NEVER put protected or sensitive data into them,” and that employees must be prevented from sharing valuable intellectual property. The author cites a “2025 study” which found that “26% of sensitive information it detected being shared by employees was shared in the free version of ChatGPT,” underscoring the need for a clear Artificial Intelligence use policy to reduce the risk of a costly, reputation damaging data breach. The piece advises considering enterprise or team editions of Artificial Intelligence tools, or using Artificial Intelligence features built into existing software, and closes by noting that Cenetric offers guidance to help Kansas City area organizations adopt Artificial Intelligence securely and efficiently.
