AI: The Next Big Thing For Small Businesses, Too

Almost every business leader I know has begun to -- or is pondering the best way to -- incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into their 2020 growth plan. Clearly, AI is sweeping the globe and "helping to drive the next great economic expansion," as Deloitte noted in its 2019 international survey of AI's early adopters. Nearly two-thirds of the executives surveyed for the report said AI technology is "very" or "critically" important to the success of their businesses, and most said that AI will help them move ahead of competitors who have been slower to adopt the technologies. Large companies are all over it, using AI to win customer loyalty by creating highly personalized experiences. Can startups and other small firms use AI and advanced analytics effectively without wasting precious time and money on technologies that even the experts are still working to operationalize?