Explore the truth behind the top AI myths haunting small business owners. Hear from the experts.
The launch of Chat GPT and other AI models has sparked a global sensation. Today, AI is permeating nearly every industry and taking the world by storm.
But along with the surge of excitement about AI, there's a palpable sense of apprehension. This isn’t surprising when you look at the way AI technologies are often portrayed by the media—as almost magical, omnipotent systems that surpass human capabilities in every domain. Given all this hype and mythology, it’s natural to feel uncertain.
However, it’s important to note that while the widespread access to AI is novel, the technology itself isn't new. AI-powered tools have been among us for years, integrating themselves into various aspects of technology. And, once you peel back the layers of how AI operates, you'll find that many of the fears and myths surrounding it can be debunked.
In this blog, we’ll dive into seven prevalent AI myths and shed light on the truth behind them. We’ll also touch on some ways you can utilize AI to bolster your business.
Ready to explore Wix’s AI tools? Create your business website with the help of built-in AI features today.
Top 7 AI myths
01. Myth: AI is going to steal my job
Like every disruptive technology, AI will inevitably reshape the workforce. While it may eventually automate menial tasks, history suggests that the AI revolution will not replace humans entirely.
Instead, it will transform the nature of work, just as the agricultural, industrial and digital revolutions did in the past. As AI takes over repetitive and routine tasks, humans will likely shift their focus to jobs that require uniquely human skills, such as creativity, emotional intelligence and critical thinking.
When asked where we are in the AI revolution, Wix’s marketing trend analyst, Shachaf Rodberg, uses a visit to the doctor's office as an example of how AI can enhance the human workforce. The time your doctor spends updating records and documentation could be automated, Rodberg explains, allowing your doctor more time and bandwidth to interface with you, the patient.
02. Myth: All AI technologies are the same
This myth can be debunked on several levels. You can think of AI as having three main parts: the base model, the training data and the application. The base is like a baby's brain—it has the potential to learn but doesn't have much knowledge yet. What it learns depends on the information it's given. Just like how a child who reads a lot of science books will have different knowledge than one who spends time on social media, an AI's "knowledge" is shaped by the data it's trained on.
The application layer is where you can really experience the incredible diversity in AI—this is how you actually use and interact with AI in your daily life and business. A wide array of AI tools for business now exist, from ones that can create images and videos, to those that help you analyze data, provide customer support or even build websites.
With the large quantity of AI tools now available, there also comes a range in quality. Take AI website builders as an example; many of these builders use AI to create simple, unoriginal landing pages, whereas more established website-building solutions like Wix use AI to create bespoke, high-quality sites.
As you evaluate AI tools, make sure you’re getting the full functionality that you’re looking for. The right AI applications can help you break down the barriers to starting a business and tackle small business challenges more effectively.
03. Myth: Only companies with big budgets can use AI
The notion that AI is exclusively for large corporations with deep pockets is outdated. In the past, developing and operating AI systems did require substantial computing power and a team of highly skilled experts. This made AI inaccessible to most small businesses. This is no longer the case.
Today, you have access to many affordable AI tools that can streamline your operations, automate repetitive tasks and deliver valuable business insights.
Many AI tools like Chat GPT, Claude and Otter.AI offer a version of their product free of charge. Other AI tools offer subscriptions or pay-as-you-go options.
AI features may now be included as a part of the services you already pay for, too. All of Wix’s plans, for example, include access to an AI content creator, AI image generator and a suite of other intelligent tools.
05. Myth: AI is just a fad
Dismissing AI as a passing trend underestimates the influence it has already had on the global economy, with a market size projected to reach $184 billion in 2024.
The fact is, AI is transforming business and taking a permanent foothold in how many major sectors operate.
In eCommerce, this technology is being used to predict trends, analyze performance and assist with inventory management. Banks and credit card companies are also becoming increasingly reliant on AI-driven fraud detection and risk assessment systems.
And, the AI revolution hasn't left small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) behind. Small business trends show that AI has become integral to business owners of all sizes. A staggering 75% of small businesses reported using AI tools to help run their businesses and support business growth, according to the 2023 Small Business AI Adoption Survey conducted by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council.
05. Myth: Generative AI will let me scale overnight
For a small business owner, the need for fresh content is nearly constant and is one of many common small business challenges. Generative AI now allows business owners to create original content—such as text, images, music and videos—more efficiently.
However, generative AI is not an overnight solution for scaling your small business. It requires supervision. AI-generated content must be reviewed to ensure it has a natural flow, aligns with your brand voice and captures your desired messaging correctly. In written content, you’ll want to watch out for repetitive words or repetitive sentence structures that feel inorganic to the reader. You’ll want to check for accuracy as well; instances of AI hallucinations, where AI produces nonsensical or incorrect answers to a prompt, sometimes still occur.
Ultimately, you are the subject matter expert about your business. Your human touch is required for content to feel genuine, human-first and consistent with your brand.
06. Myth: AI is too hard to use
Early AI systems were complex and required an understanding of advanced mathematics, computer science and programming to develop and operate. Today, while the underlying models are still complex, the release of powerful pre-trained language models and user-friendly interfaces has made it easy for non-experts to experiment with AI.
Natural language processing (NLP) based tools have made AI more accessible by allowing you to interact with these systems using plain language. Take Wix’s AI image creator, as an example. The image creator produces high-quality, unique images, all through written prompts. From improving your business website with AI-driven optimizations to simplifying data analysis for business development, AI tools can be surprisingly straightforward to use.
07. Myth: People hate AI-generated content
You might be surprised to know that this isn’t necessarily the case. What people hate is spam: unoriginal content that doesn’t offer real value. All of us have grown tired of junky content that’s created solely to generate clicks.
And while AI makes it easier to create bad content at scale, it also makes it easier to produce high-quality, creative content more quickly. In fact, content generated by AI or generated by AI, then ‘augmented’ by humans, was even perceived as higher quality than content produced by human experts, according to a 2023 study by MIT. Opinions only shifted when the source was revealed, but even this could be attributed to bias rather than a reflection of quality.
According to the study:
As you edit AI-generated content, use Google’s EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) guidelines as a framework. This approach combines the efficiency of AI with human expertise, resulting in content that can rise above the noise, engage your readers and satisfy search engine requirements.