A US small-business columnist argues that large corporations have effectively acted as unwitting guinea pigs for artificial intelligence, allowing smaller firms to learn from their successes and costly mistakes without bearing the same financial risk. The piece contends that big business has shown small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) where AI genuinely delivers value, such as software development and customer service, while also revealing pitfalls around cost, trust and public messaging that smaller firms are now avoiding.

The author highlights specific lessons drawn from corporate experience: AI is proving useful for coding, customer service, cybersecurity and voice-based systems, prompting some SMBs to hire developers laid off by big tech. Conversely, small firms have noted the huge computing costs some corporations incurred, the backlash CEOs faced after publicising AI-driven job cuts, and unreliable "agentic" AI tools, leading SMBs to favour cautious, productivity-focused AI adoption over sweeping automation or headcount reduction, while remaining sceptical of bold predictions about AI's transformative pace.