The AI moment is now.
Compute, algorithms, and data have aligned, creating a unique opportunity for smaller businesses to harness AI affordably.
AI isn’t new, but this moment is.
AI has always felt like a tool for the enterprise, but today, it’s finally accessible to small and medium sized businesses.
New technology comes along every once in a while that reshapes how we live and work. The Internet did it in the 90s and mobile phones did it in the 00s.
Now it’s AI’s turn.
As someone that’s worked in software for over 20 years and has seen a lot of fads, this feels different. AI unlocks value in your data, can reduce costs, and allows you to do more with less.
Why now?
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Algorithms: Machine learning and deep learning models have evolved dramatically. The transformer architecture (which powers modern language models) can understand, generate, and reason with information in human-like ways. What once took a research lab now runs on a laptop, or an API call.
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Compute: Cloud infrastructure and specialised chips have made advanced AI affordable and scalable. A task that required a data center five years ago now costs a few cents to run. Compute is no longer the barrie, creativity is.
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Data: As storage costs plumeted over the years, we started to store more and more data. This data is now available and ready to be mined.
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Awareness: The arrival of ChatGPT and similar tools changed everything by launching AI into the public consciousness. Business owners, managers, and entire industries now understand what’s possible, and are ready to take advantage of it.
From hype to ROI
There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of hype around AI at the moment. Especially with the use of LLMs.
For small and medium businesses, it’s now an accessible tool to reduce costs, automate repetitive tasks, and gain new insights, without hiring a data science team.
A few examples:
- Automate data entry and client onboarding using natural language models.
- Generate summaries of reports or meeting notes instantly.
- Detect anomalies in transactions or operations before they become problems.
- Build smart recommendation systems that guide customer decisions.
AI shouldn’t replace people, it should amplify them. It lets teams produce more, explore more ideas, and deliver better results with the same time and budget.
You’re not too small for AI
AI used to mean massive data pipelines, expensive servers, and specialist teams.
Not anymore.
Today’s AI tools are modular, accessible, and connect easily to existing systems. You don’t need to train models, you just need to know where to apply them.
Think of AI like electricity in the early 1900s: once it became a service, every factory, shop, and office could use it. The businesses that plugged in early got ahead, and stayed ahead.
Start small. Think big.
The key is to start with one process, one repetitive task that drains time or money.
From there, build confidence, measure results, and expand.
At Secret Orange, I help businesses do exactly that, identify high-value use cases, prototype quickly, and integrate AI safely into daily operations.
Because the question isn’t if AI will change your business, it’s how soon you’ll decide to use it to your advantage.
