Using AI to Run Your Small Business? Time to Reassess
Yes, using artificial intelligence can definitely speed up your work — but, that doesn’t mean that the work that AI creates is better than what you could deliver on your own for your small business. AI has become an unavoidable part of our world, especially with companies like Google using AI features without your explicit opt-in. It’s harder and harder to keep AI out of your business!
We’ve shared examples with you on how to ethically use AI before, but now the concerns around these tools grow more unclear. This is why we’re making time to reassess whether or not to use AI tools as part of our daily work at VVITCH Digital.
Here are 6 reasons you shouldn’t rely on AI to run your small business — these helped us reconsider our usage too.
Let’s Be Real: It’s Theft.
Did you know that generative AI works by consuming a wide array of media to be “trained” on how to respond to future prompts? Yes, very often the media that Large Language Models (LLMs) learn from is used without the consent of the copyright holder. This ranges from all types of media, such as books, movies, television, social media, and even Google Doc files and emails.
This theft can happen often without your consent, and is fed into various language models. When you use AI in your products and services, you run the risk of possibly getting sued. For example, Anthropic settled a $1.5 billion lawsuit with authors whose works were stolen to train Anthropic’s language model.
It’s very difficult nowadays to protect your intellectual property (IP). But it has become infinitely more difficult to do so when generative AI content is woven into every part of life, including your work — degrading your own claim to your work in the same instance.
Eroded Trust with Your Audience
While you might not be able to tell the difference between a commercial or brand campaign that relies on AI or not, your customers usually can. And once your customers realize that you’re using AI in your small business’ content and services, they may begin to think more negatively about your brand.
Think about it — imagine that you once loved a hand-crafted artisan product and it was replaced with a mass-produced item that cost more and didn't function as well. Wouldn’t that annoy you? The reality is that this is often the result when you use AI in your work.
Even as more people see their jobs replaced by AI, there will likely be an increase in the negative connotations associated with generative AI.
Cognitive Decline Is Happening
The results of AI on the human brain are horrifying! Recently, researchers at MIT’s Media Lab conducted a study that had alarming outcomes. Their study shows that the continued use of LLMs can lead to cognitive decline and is particularly harmful to younger developing minds.
Every time that you use AI to take a shortcut, you might be doing permanent damage to your brain’s abilities. If you are someone who can complete tasks without the help of ChatGPT or another LLM, you’re cognitively going to be better off in the long run.
Data Privacy Matters
Something truly really scary is learning how some people are using ChatGPT as their personal therapist. There are many reasons to be concerned about using AI in this way due to privacy. While a therapist is required to keep your information confidential, LLMs do not have to adhere to those requirements at all.
Not only is it a risk to disclose your personal details to LLMs, but using AI in your business could put your customers’ private information at risk, including things like past email communications, order history, or contact details. Of course, these are details customers would naturally expect to remain private to them or, in the event they choose to share it with someone else.
In July 2025, ChatGPT allowed some chats to be made public and they were indexed by Google and displayed in search results. Due to widespread concern, this was changed but the fact remains that these companies can change their settings and rules at any time. If you are putting personal information of any of your clients or customers into AI, you are absolutely putting that information at risk.
If you prefer to continue using generative AI with your business, you should consider adding more information to your privacy policy about how AI is and will be used, and what personal information it will have access to.
Surging Energy Costs
While interacting with AI may seem like a fully digital experience, the truth is that each prompt you enter into a LLM requires a massive amount of energy and real world resources to complete responses. You might wonder how, since we use Google or TikTok to search for answers too.
When you ask a question to a LLM, it requires file space on a server to process the query. The servers then get overheated and require water for cooling. Once used for cooling, that water cannot be reintroduced into our global supply. Additionally, there is an estimation that every conversation that you have with an AI tool consumes one bottle of water, and then contaminates it in such a way that it cannot be introduced into our global water supply.
In addition to water, the data centers run by companies like OpenAI or Elon Musk’s Groq, require massive amounts of electricity to run 24/7. As the demand for electricity and water continues to rise, the cost will also increase for all of us.
Nationwide, the average electric bills have increased 6% due to these data centers. In states where a lot of data centers exist, that number is much higher. For example, New Jersey has seen a 14% increase in energy costs. This all means that your business could incur more costs too — whether brick-and-mortar or location-agnostic.
Environmental Degredation & Eco-Racism
If the above reasons aren’t compelling enough, consider the impact to our environment and how it’s tethered to racism as well. We currently risk losing public lands forever due to the use of AI. The federal government has cleared the way for data centers to be built in parks and other formerly protected lands.
The biggest data center for Groq, owned by Elon Musk, is based in the predominantly Black neighborhood of Boxtown outside of Memphis and the toxic emissions have been causing widespread health problems for the residents of this community. There are many additional non-white communities in the US that house data centers, and they are or will experience the same fate.
As historically has happened, climate change impacts marginalized communities the hardest. They will be the communities that suffer the most from the AI takeover.
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How do you want to show up in this fight against AI? Can artificial intelligence offer many opportunities for growth and help you speed up operations with your business? Sure it can. But at what cost?
Make sure that before you use AI, you have a very clear understanding of the pros and cons of these tools — not only for your business’ bottom line, but that of the society and world you’re a part of as well.
Meet the Authors
Jen Siomacco - Founder and UX Designer
Jen has worked in technology, marketing, education, and publishing since graduating with an architecture degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. While working as a user experience (UX) designer and product manager in the corporate world, Jen traveled the world conducting user research and interviewing customers to ensure their company’s products and services were well-designed, accessible, and a delight to use.
Brittinee Phillips - Copywriter
Brittinee has worked in marketing for a little over ten years. She has a passion and talent for storytelling. Brittinee's philosophy is that storytelling is the most integral part of the consumer and product experience, which is why she makes it a focal point in her approach to product and brand messaging.
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