Oklahoma small businesses using AI see major job growth, US Chamber research finds

WASHINGTON (KSWO) – New research finds small businesses are nearly eight times more likely to report job creation driven by artificial intelligence than job losses.

Jordan Crenshaw, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Engagement Center, discussed the findings and what they mean for Oklahomans.

Report finds job growth outpacing job losses

“Well, what we’re finding, as you mentioned, AI is creating jobs and not replacing them for small businesses,” Crenshaw said.

Crenshaw said the trend is largely because AI tools help small businesses cut down on inefficiencies, freeing up time to focus on products, services and customer interaction.

“In fact, what we found is that 47% of small businesses in the United States experience direct job growth because of artificial intelligence versus 6% who said that they let go of employees because of AI,” Crenshaw said. “But I think it’s interesting to note though that 94% of small businesses in Oklahoma that use artificial intelligence experienced a workforce growth over the last year.”

Crenshaw said there are a lot of reasons for optimism about the technology’s ability to help small businesses compete.

What AI adoption looks like for small businesses

The report found two-thirds of small businesses now use AI.

“Well, what this looks like is simple,” Crenshaw said. “In a lot of cases what we’ve seen is small business owners are able to cut down on time and resources on back end tasks at their business that they just typically don’t have time to do.”

Crenshaw said small businesses are crunched for time and resources compared to larger companies. He said one coffee shop owner told him he cut the time spent developing marketing and advertising for his website by about 70% using AI. Crenshaw said the owner also used ChatGPT to develop a coffee bagger that cut his bagging time during the Christmas rush by more than 50%.

Crenshaw said that means small business owners can get more product out and spend more time on customer relationships, which leads to growth.

“For example, we’ve seen in our report is that over 80% of small businesses using AI grew their sales over the last year as well,” Crenshaw said. “So those sales profits keep hiring.”

Concerns over AI regulation

Crenshaw said about three-quarters of small businesses are worried that losing the ability to use AI will harm their ability to grow, whether through overregulation or a patchwork of state laws.

“In fact, 59% of small businesses in Oklahoma have expressed concern about having to deal with out of state compliance and litigation,” Crenshaw said.

Crenshaw said an AI tool that might cost $250 a month or less could end up costing a business $16,000 due to California regulations, making it harder to compete with larger companies.

Crenshaw said it’s important for policymakers to understand the impacts on small businesses and to establish a single national framework so small businesses do not fall behind larger companies on compliance.

“If you want to learn more about some of the concerns here or any more of the data, you can visit us at USChamber.com to learn more,” Crenshaw said.