For many, the conversation around artificial intelligence still feels like a high-stakes game reserved for Fortune 500 megacompanies. We see large corporations leveraging AI to streamline operations, improve customer service, and gain data-driven insights.

But here’s the reality: AI isn’t just for big business. It’s already driving efficiency, accuracy, risk reduction, and productivity for businesses of all sizes.

Roncelli isn’t a tech company. It’s a family-owned construction firm with a few hundred employees, operating regionally across seven states and Ontario. Although it’s a small business, AI is already a crucial part of our processes.

We’ve integrated AI-powered software across our operations, linking our ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), HRIS (Human Resources Information System), and Project Management software into a single, real-time data platform. We’re using AI to predict which job sites are at higher risk for accidents, which projects are ahead or behind schedule, and which ones are likely to stay within budget.

These insights allow us to act faster, mitigate risks, and operate more efficiently. If Roncelli — an old-school construction company — can do this, so can your organization. AI has officially moved from Wall Street to Main Street, and if you’re not harnessing it, you’re falling behind.

One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it will replace human jobs. While AI does automate certain tasks, it’s not replacing people — it’s empowering them. Across industries, AI is automating repetitive tasks, thus allowing team members to focus on higher-value work requiring expertise and judgment.

In our business, project managers no longer spend hours compiling reports manually. AI automatically pulls data from multiple sources, highlights key insights, and flags potential issues before they become problems.

In turn, estimators can analyze historical bid data faster, ensuring more accurate and competitive pricing, while safety teams can proactively address potential hazards before they lead to injuries. This isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about making better decisions, faster.

For small businesses, this is a game-changer. Where it once took a dozen people to manage a project, now it takes three or four. That’s the power of automation and AI.

It allows smaller teams to punch above their weight, compete at higher levels, and drive greater value for their customers. As a general rule, the companies that embrace AI will thrive, while those that ignore it will languish.

Almost all of our team members are using tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot daily. However, these AI assistants aren’t just connected to the internet, they’re also connected to our real-time work data. This means our team members get immediate insights from actual project data, improving decision-making and efficiency.

AI isn’t just a tool for reducing costs, it’s a strategic advantage. Businesses of all sizes now have access to AI-driven insights that were once only available to corporations with massive data science teams and budgets. Today, AI allows small businesses to operate with the precision, agility, and intelligence of much larger organizations.

And it doesn’t have to be a massive, expensive overhaul.

If you’re working with leading software partners, it’s likely they’re already building AI into their platforms — but know that you have to be diligent in choosing the right partners and integrating them properly.

This isn’t some huge, daunting transformation. It’s about being smart, selecting correctly, and moving fast.

It’s no longer a question of whether AI is coming for your industry, because it’s already here. The real question is if, and how, it can be used to stay competitive.

If 2023 and 2024 were about businesses waking up to AI’s potential, 2025 will be about Agential AI — the next evolution in automation. Agential AI isn’t just a chatbot answering questions; it’s a platform that can reason and take action across multiple software systems.

In the near future, AI will move beyond insights to executing tasks, streamlining workflows, and acting as a true digital assistant.

If you don’t know what Agential AI is, now is the time to learn. Your competition certainly is. And as this technology becomes more accessible, the gap between businesses that embrace AI and those that don’t will only widen.

The AI revolution is happening right now. At our company, AI has already changed how we work, helping us deliver better results to our clients while making our teams more effective. And we’re not unique.

If a 60-year-old commercial construction company can embrace this new reality, you absolutely can, too.

If you’re a small business owner or a leader still wondering whether AI is worth the investment, let me leave you with this: If you don’t take AI seriously, your competition will. And in an increasingly competitive world, that’s a risk no business can afford to take.

This article originally appeared in DBusiness Magazine. All rights reserved. Click this link to view the article: DBusiness AI for All

Photo Credit: Matt Lavere