Three years after ChatGPT was first introduced, small business owners and workers report that AI has been more convenient than dire, according to interviews and data. Google’s recent ATLAS study of 15 million Gemini users found AI is primarily used as a complement to work and doesn’t replace human work. Ita Reyes, who runs Ita Yoga Studio in Ann Arbor, Mich., said AI is “such a simple, simple tool that can do so much,” and credited her Meta glasses with making it easier to promote her studio. TJ and Kayce Weed praised Meta’s AI for helping them to amp up their marketing and social media for their coffeeshops in northeastern Louisiana, bringing in more revenue and focusing on expansion. Charlotte Coates, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner based in Dallas, said “Using AI in the last two years has significantly reduced administrative overhead,” and noted, “We have actually hired more people because we have gotten busier.” The technology has enabled medical professionals to spend more time with patients, allowed small business owners to expand more quickly and hire more employees, and helped entrepreneurs promote their endeavors. While legitimate concerns exist about privacy, misinformation, and delusions, many tech executives suggested the real fear is not being replaced by AI but by someone who knows how to use it.