Many of us are familiar with Intuit's (NASDAQ:INTU) industry-leading products in personal taxes (Turbo Tax) and small business accounting (QuickBooks). However, the company has expanded well beyond these two areas and assembled a portfolio of products that have improved and will continue to improve the financial lives of its customers. On Intuit's website, CEO Sasan Goodarzi described their mission statement as follows: We are a purpose-driven, values-driven company. Our mission to power prosperity around the world is why we show up to work every single day to do incredible things for our customers. Our values guide us and define what we stand for as a company.

QuickBooks is accessible from any web browser or through the mobile app. And it only takes about five minutes to get up and running. Intuit is infusing its QuickBooks platform with artificial intelligence aimed at guiding small businesses through projecting cash flow, tracking expenses and mileage, and performance ratios. Unveiled at Intuit's QuickBooks Connect conference, the company outlined an approach that rhymes with how it has automated tax preparation. QuickBooks is aiming to enable small business owners and self-employed workers to use AI to automate back-office work, ease commerce, and introduce performance metrics.

It's a grim statistic: about half of small businesses fail within five years. The main reason is the challenge with cash flows. But technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence) can be a big help. They may even transform the business. Yet there are enormous hurdles as small businesses do not have the resources–in terms of access to Big Data and technical expertise–to leverage AI.

It's a grim statistic: about half of small businesses fail within five years. The main reason is the challenge with cash flows. But technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence) can be a big help. They may even transform the business. Yet there are enormous hurdles as small businesses do not have the resources–in terms of access to Big Data and technical expertise–to leverage AI. Instead, the technology has been mostly for larger businesses.

Cash Flow Planner: With AI, this system can predict daily cash flow needs for the next 90 days. This can be crucial as a business owner will be in a better position to take actions to avoid major problems. The Cash Flow Planner also provides recommendations, such as for sending out invoice reminders and getting a loan. QuickBooks Capital: Unless your company has a couple years of history, a bank will likely not extend a loan. This is due to an inherent conservatism but also a backward-looking approach to scoring risk.

Cash Flow Planner: With AI, this system can predict daily cash flow needs for the next 90 days. This can be crucial as a business owner will be in a better position to take actions to avoid major problems. The Cash Flow Planner also provides recommendations, such as for sending out invoice reminders and getting a loan. QuickBooks Capital: Unless your company has a couple years of history, a bank will likely not extend a loan. This is due to an inherent conservatism but also a backward-looking approach to scoring risk.

China Science Daily is using artificial intelligence to auto-generate news stories, based on article abstracts it finds in major scientific journals. Those journals include some of the most influential scientific publications in the world, including Science, Nature, Cell and the New England Journal of Medicine. So far, China Science Daily has published more than 200 articles using AI. The primary impetus behind the effort: To offer Chinese scientists easy access to scientific research from around the world – devoid of language barriers -- according to Zhang Mingwei, deputy editor-in-chief, China Science Daily. Keaton Patti, who has written for Marvel and Comedy Central, says he trained an AI writing system to be Batman-savvy by having it view approximately 1,000 hours of Batman films. The result: "One has to wonder what the AI was computing when it had Batman say, "'Alfred, give birth to Robin,'" observes ScreenRant.

China Science Daily is using artificial intelligence to auto-generate news stories, based on article abstracts it finds in major scientific journals. Those journals include some of the most influential scientific publications in the world, including Science, Nature, Cell and the New England Journal of Medicine. So far, China Science Daily has published more than 200 articles using AI. The primary impetus behind the effort: To offer Chinese scientists easy access to scientific research from around the world – devoid of language barriers -- according to Zhang Mingwei, deputy editor-in-chief, China Science Daily. Keaton Patti, who has written for Marvel and Comedy Central, says he trained an AI writing system to be Batman-savvy by having it view approximately 1,000 hours of Batman films. The result: "One has to wonder what the AI was computing when it had Batman say, "'Alfred, give birth to Robin,'" observes ScreenRant.

A quick glance at the latest headlines – self driving cars, cashier-less grocery stores – will leave no doubt that we have arrived in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). While big tech shifts have traditionally delivered disproportionate advantages to big companies who can afford the underlying infrastructure, I believe that the age of AI will play out differently. In this era, nimble, more adaptable small businesses are poised to reap advantages in equal, and often greater proportion to large companies – despite their deep pockets and data goldmines. To find out how small businesses are reallyadapting in the age of AI, my company, Intuit, recently partnered with Emergent Research to survey U.S.-based small business owners and managers about their attitudes toward automation technologies. We found that small businesses aren't reeling orplaying catch up to the global giants.

A quick glance at the latest headlines -- self driving cars, cashier-less grocery stores -- will leave no doubt that we have arrived in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). While big tech shifts have traditionally delivered disproportionate advantages to big companies who can afford the underlying infrastructure, I believe that the age of AI will play out differently. In this era, nimble, more adaptable small businesses are poised to reap advantages in equal, and often greater proportion to large companies -- despite their deep pockets and data goldmines. To find out how small businesses are really adapting in the age of AI, my company, Intuit, recently partnered with Emergent Research to survey U.S.-based small business owners and managers about their attitudes toward automation technologies. We found that small businesses aren't reeling or playing catch up to the global giants.