(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
Let’s Recap:
- GM fired more than 1,000 worker and replaced them with robots.
- Some employers who replaced workers with Ai are not regretting that decision.
- Santander rolls out AI capabilities to its workforce.
- A startup raises $23 million for small businesses.
- Agentic AI meets infrastructure challenges.
GM Fired Over 1,000 Factory Zero Workers and Installed 50 Robots
General Motors is under scrutiny after changes were made at their flagship, Factory Zero. More than 50 collaborative robots — or ‘cobots’ — were installed at the facility. Their investment in robotics was made almost immediately after cutting more than 1,000 jobs. Union members have publicly expressed their concerns as the robots appeared to be the explanation for the layoffs. But GM has said it is shifting toward employees who can build and work alongside AI systems rather than relying on traditional IT skill sets alone. The cobot strategy reflects a workforce transformation according to the automaker, but it has led to increased tensions between employees and decision-makers as technology continues to be a core focus. (Source: Yahoo Finance)
Why this is important for your small business:
Robotics are inevitably coming to the shop floor but for most businesses this won’t be anytime soon. The price point is still too high and their capabilities are very much in the early stages. It’s interesting to see how big companies are doing this because ultimately what they do will trickle down to everyone else. But again, not for a while.
Employers Who Laid Off Workers Citing AI are Already Starting to Regret It
The AI workforce narrative is shifting based on recent headlines. CNBC reported that employers who cited AI as their reason for layoffs are now regretting that decision. While these companies aggressively embraced AI to enhance their operations, a growing number are realizing that replacing people has been problematic. Then there are companies who are harnessing both technology and human talent as NBC News reported. A new study from financial platform Ramp — which looked at 21,599 organizations — found that those with the highest AI adoption levels increased their hiring — by 10 percent according to the data. Ramp’s lead economist Ara Kharazian said “…our data would suggest that you should probably join the firm that’s using AI.” In other cases, major companies like Ford are rethinking their AI usage as the BBC reported. After reducing engineering staff and relying more heavily on AI for portions of its design and development work, Ford found that the technology could not consistently match the expertise of experienced engineers. Subsequently, the cost of fixing AI-generated mistakes can be substantial. (Source: CNBC; NBC News; BBC)
Why this is important for your small business:
The AI over-hype continues. So be careful. My smartest clients are deploying AI in very limited, specific ways where ROI can be very specifically measured and would not significantly disrupt their operations. Consider expanding your use of your Office platform. Or building a little app to record and store all conversations. Or one that connects to all of your system and allows your employees to prompt across all of your data. These are examples of smaller, but more effective use of AI that has been successful with my clients this year.
Santander to Extend AI Capabilities to 185,000 Employees Worldwide
Santander is pushing ahead on its AI expansion with plans to increase access to AI tools to 185,000 employees worldwide, marking one of the largest enterprise AI deployments in the banking industry. Building on the 280 automation agents, automated workflows and AI-supported software development, Santander is focusing on moving from “AI ambition to execution” as the bank’s first quarter of 2026 has returned over 35 million Euros from its AI implementation. “We expect this figure to increase further in the second quarter and are on track to exceed €200 million by year-end,” Ricardo Martín Manjón, the bank’s chief data and AI officer projected. Santander is treating AI as a core business capability rather standalone technology. (Source: FinTech Futures)
Why this is important for your small business:
No where does Santander say they’re replacing employees with AI. They’re being smart — developing AI systems to augment their teams which hopefully improve productivity, customer service and profitability. This is an example for how small businesses should be approaching AI.
Pie Raises $23.7M to Bring AI-Powered Growth to Main Street Businesses
Pie — an AI startup focused on Main Street businesses — has announced $19.5 million in Series AI funding. Raising $23.7 million to date, the latest round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from other entities such as Capital One Ventures. Pie’s mission is helping small businesses acquire more customers through supplying them with AI-powered search tools as customer use increases; augment their visibility across channels such as Google Maps, Yelp, and Nextdoor; and their product Front Desk — a new product that answers customer phone calls 24/7, books appointments or reservations. “Every owner I talked to said some version of the same thing: ‘I need more customers, and I can’t afford an agency.’ We built Pie to fix that problem, said Syed Ali, Pie Co-founder and CEO. (Source: Business Wire)
Why this is important for your small business:
SEO, Adwords and online growth has been seriously disrupted by AI over the past couple of years and things are just getting started. Many companies are reporting declining web traffic as AI chatbots are eating up their clicks by providing answers to users, rather than links to answers. Even full time SEO specialists at the largest of brands are challenged to stay ahead of these changes. Which is why it makes sense for many small businesses — who do not have the resources of larger companies — to use platforms like PIE to help them with campaigns and search.
Agentic AI is Scaling in Manufacturing, but Infrastructure Gaps Remain
The manufacturing sector is leveling up its AI capabilities — moving beyond generative AI chatbots toward AI systems that can autonomously plan, make decisions, and execute tasks. According to Deloitte’s 2025 Future of Manufacturing report, 87 percent of manufacturers have launched at least one generative AI pilot. The trend is no longer whether to adopt AI but how sophisticated its deployment can be. (Source: Manufacturing Dive)
Why this is important for your small business:
According to the article despite the enthusiasm to move to highly advanced, autonomous systems, most manufacturers are still working through significant data and infrastructure challenges before they can deploy these systems at scale. Many still need to sharpen their AI expertise as they enter the next stage of adoption. Manufacturers have identified some of the issues at hand. According to Deloitte — 40 percent planned investments in data analytics in the next two years.
Note: Have a technology story that small business owners should know about? Don’t mind me sharing my opinion? Share it with me on X @genemarks.
