The AI Playbook for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

How to become AI-first in 2025

The world’s largest and most innovative companies are adopting an AI-first approach.

This is no longer about adopting new technology, but fundamentally reimagining how work gets done. And while most of the headlines focus on billion-dollar companies, the implications are just as important for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs).

Ignoring AI today is like ignoring the internet in 1998. You might survive a while longer, but you won’t thrive. Fortunately, SMBs don’t need massive budgets to take advantage of AI.

They have something even better: agility.

This article will outline a simple roadmap any business can follow to use AI more effectively.

What’s Happening: The Shift to AI-First

Shopify’s CEO recently told employees to “prove why they can’t use AI before requesting more resources.” AI is no longer optional. It has become the default.

Microsoft recently revealed that AI writes 30% of their code, and expects that to increase to 95% over the coming years.

From automating customer support to writing code, large companies are learning to expect every employee to work with AI as they would any other teammate.

Duolingo’s leadership has taken it a step further: “Start with AI for every task. No matter how small.” They’ve eliminated roles that AI can now handle, and dramatically scaled their language content production with tools like GPT-4.

These companies understand that AI isn’t a tool; it’s a paradigm shift.

Human creativity and AI output are not rivals, they’re collaborators.

So, how does that translate to your business?

Starting with Easy Wins

You don’t need a team of engineers or a data science department. You just need to start! Here are a few ways you can do that:

• Customer Communication: Use tools like ChatGPT or Jasper to draft emails, social posts, and product descriptions.
• Automate FAQ responses using AI-powered chat widgets (e.g., Tidio, Intercom AI).
• Auto-draft meeting notes and action items with Otter.ai or Fireflies.
• Summarize lengthy documents or contracts using Claude or GPT tools.
• Use AI to categorize expenses, write job descriptions, or generate reports.
• Try tools like Notion AI, Microsoft Copilot, or Grammarly for routine tasks.

These tools aren’t gimmicks, they’re practical time-savers that reduce busywork and increase your bandwidth. By offloading routine tasks to AI, you create more space to focus on strategy, growth, and customer impact.

Adding Stronger Solutions

Once you’ve built some initial comfort with AI, the next step for your company is deeper integration.

1. Sales & CRM Automation

Train AI on your sales pipeline to suggest next steps, personalize outreach, and score leads more effectively.

Watch: Automating Sales with Clay AI

2. Marketing Campaigns at Scale

Use AI to generate A/B test copy, optimize ad performance, and even suggest new markets or audiences.

See an example: EvolvAI

3. Operational Efficiency

Integrate AI with inventory, scheduling, or customer service platforms. Zapier and Make.com now support AI steps in workflows, making automation accessible.

Watch: How AI works in supply chains

Strategic Investments

The real unlock is in reshaping how you think about work. How can you leverage AI technology and automation at every point of your business?

Ask your team:

“What would this task look like if AI were already doing 80% of it?”

That single question shifts the focus from status quo improvement to transformational thinking. You might discover that the task can be fully automated, that it should be combined with another workflow, or that it’s no longer needed at all.

That discussion can lead to new business models, reallocating staff, R&D acceleration, and better marketing.

The companies that win won’t just use AI tools, they’ll build AI-native workflows from the ground up.

Don’t Wait, Act Now

Duolingo’s CEO put it bluntly: “When there’s a shift this big, the worst thing you can do is wait.”

SMBs have a unique opportunity because you can move faster than enterprise giants, test more quickly, and personalize more deeply.

But only if you start now.

Watch: Using AI to optimize your small business

I’ve worked with several companies to help them embed AI into their daily operations. I can assure you: the transformation is both possible and powerful.

The gap between where you are and where you could be is often just a few smart decisions away.