(Photo Courtesy of Pepsi/ Getty Images)
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These are new case studies on how larger companies are deploying AI internally. Many of these applications will be making their way do small businesses in the not-too-distant future.
This Week in Small Business Technology News
Small Business Technology News #1 – A World Economic Forum study shows the use of AI in global studies.
The World Economic Forum’s MINDS (Meaningful, Intelligent, Novel, Deployable Solutions) program highlights companies that are successfully embedding AI into real systems – not just prototypes – to deliver sustainability, resilience, efficiency, and social impact. The article showcases insights from the second MINDS cohort (the first cohort was presented in 2025) and examples of AI applications that are already producing measurable results in areas such as the environment, health and well-being, and industry and infrastructure. Several examples are cited including the State Grid Corporation of China that is using AI to manage the power grid in Shanghai. Across cohorts, successful AI adopters share these traits: responsible scaling, workforce empowerment, and measurable impact. (Source: World Economic Forum)
Why this is important for your small business:
Interesting use cases of companies around the world who are putting AI to real use. Examples include a Chinese company that uses AI-driven electrochemical modelling to automate electric vehicle battery design, cutting data ops and prototype cycles dramatically. and an American company that’s implementing on-device AI in building controllers to learn and adjust settings, improving comfort while reducing energy use and emissions.
Small Business Technology News #2 – How PepsiCo is using AI to improve their operations.
PepsiCo has launched a multi‑year partnership with Siemens and Nvidia to overhaul its global manufacturing and supply‑chain operations using AI and digital twin technology. The company is piloting the technology in select U.S. facilities and plans to scale globally. According to the report PepsiCo is creating high‑fidelity virtual replicas of plants and warehouses allowing the company to simulate and test new setups to pinpoint any operational issues before making moderations to physical sites. The simulations are powered by Powered by Siemens’ Digital Twin Composer and Nvidia’s Omniverse platform – tools that create real time 3-D simulations. (Source: AI Magazine)
Why this is important for your small business:
Imagine being able to simulate job sites, construction build-outs, manufacturing processes or retail workflow. This type of AI implementation could have many impacts on smaller companies as it gets replicated and costs come down.
Small Business Technology News #3 – 15 more business use cases in 2026 including Netflix, Amazon and Tesla
Product School – an AI training platform – outlined 15 major real-world ways AI is being applied in business – with examples and benefits from companies using them successfully. Some areas that were examined include personalized customer experience, safety control, workforce optimization among others. For personalized experiences, AI is tailoring content, product recommendations, and services to individual customers based on their data and behavior, boosting engagement and sales. Examples include Netflix, Amazon, and Sephora’s virtual tools. AI is enhancing safety in the automotive and airline industries – Boeing for example, is using AI to detect anomalies in aircraft sensors and analyzes data from flights to ensure aircraft are operating at the highest safety levels. Tesla uses AI to monitor road conditions and driver behavior to enhance vehicle safety. (Source: Product School)
Why this is important for your small business:
Many larger companies are developing their own internal models for customer service, applications which are now starting to filter down to smaller organizations through popular applications like Zendesk, Service Now and Salesforce. If you’re wondering how AI could impact your company, you might want to first look at your customer service operations, where new features can automate the completion of requests or gauge sentiment.
Small Business Technology News #4 – 8 ways Wells Fargo is using AI.
DigitalDefynd shared detailed observations on how the banking industry is employing AI. Focusing on Wells Fargo, it examined eight areas where AI has been embedded – not just in customer-facing tools – but also in internal workflows, risk management, compliance, and governance. (Source: DigitalDefynd Education)
Why this is important for your small business:
According to the article, Wells Fargo has used AI strategically to boost efficiency, improve customer experience, strengthen security, and ensure ethical, compliant use of advanced technologies. It has employed AI to improve credit decisions, reduce bias, and expand access to credit. Its virtual assistant “Fargo” has helped with queries, transactions, and account info via chat/voice. The bank has implemented AI governance using human oversight, explainability requirements to ensure ethical and transparent AI deployment.
Small Business Technology News #5 – 19 AI in banking examples.
Diving further into AI and banking, Stephen Gossett of Built In listed 19 examples of how artificial intelligence is being used in various financial institutions. Examples include Capital One’s virtual assistant Eno that customers can communicate with via their desktop, app or text to ask questions or receive fraud alerts. Discover has partnered with Google Cloud so users can access documentation summaries or request assistance to resolve issues. AI has also enhanced security protections for banks and their ability to thwart fraud attempts. California-based DataVisor – an AI-powered fraud and risk management platform – helps banks to take preemptive action, using algorithms that find and counteract application/transaction fraud. (Source: Built In)
Why this is important for your small business:
Financial services firms are now leaning into AI applications to better assist customer and reduce their risk. These tools are adding effectiveness that their current staffing can’t do and helps them do their jobs better.
Each week I round up five small business technology news stories and explain why they’re important for your business. If you have any interesting stories, please post to my X account @genemarks
