Small businesses are increasingly adopting AI tools to manage administrative tasks and improve efficiency, according to MIT Technology Review. These AI models help with secretarial duties, recordkeeping, invoicing, and scheduling, areas where small business owners often lack resources to hire specialists. The technology enables entrepreneurs to focus more on core activities by automating routine work.
The article highlights Sam Finnegan-Dehn, a London-based private tutor who uses AI to streamline his tutoring business. Balancing a fundraising job with tutoring, Finnegan-Dehn leverages AI to plan lessons, find reading materials, create assignments, send invoices, and keep up with research. This automation frees up his time and allows him to expand his tutoring roster without sacrificing quality.
AI’s role in small businesses is significant because these enterprises often cannot afford dedicated staff for diverse tasks like accounting, design, or market research. By using AI models that perform “good enough” work in these areas, small business owners can handle multiple roles more effectively. This trend reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are democratizing access to business support functions traditionally available only to larger companies.
The MIT Technology Review newsletter 'Making AI Work' published this case study on June 2, 2026, illustrating practical AI applications in small business settings. It underscores how AI adoption is helping entrepreneurs like Finnegan-Dehn manage complex workloads and grow their operations.