Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
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Every morning, Robert Cvetkovski checks for an alert flagging 10 new catering prospects — courtesy of an AI tool he calls his “BFF.”
“Me and my ChatGPT, we love each other,” said the Jupiter resident and franchisor of Palm Beach County-based sandwich shop Jon Smith Subs.
While some South Florida small business entrepreneurs are embracing AI to keep their operations running, others are a cautionary tale.
But Cvetkovski, who discovered the tool over a year ago, is now inseparable from it.
“I just feel like it knows me,” he said.
He’s used the chatbot to scout possible new locations, to produce marketing and for social media — a strategy he credits with a 30% jump in his following over the past year.
“I run my leases in there, I run contracts through it [and] it even does my location searches for me,” he said. “I wouldn’t know how to function without ChatGPT.”
He isn’t alone. Almost 60% of small businesses in Florida now say they use AI for business operations, which is more than double the share in 2023, according to a 2025 Chamber of Commerce report.
Among them is Nate Forsyth, owner of Westlake-based Life Logic Group, a digital marketing and web development company, who says AI has dramatically sped up his work.
“Developing a website could take me a few weeks versus now, it can be done within 24 hours,” he said. “I’ve never employed anyone, I’ve always done it myself. It’s just that now I can do it quicker.”
Forsyth said clients are increasingly drawn to AI-powered phone assistants that can answer calls and book appointments.
“An unanswered call might be $10,000 to them,” he said. “And the AI doesn’t take days off, doesn’t get sick, works 24/7.”
Hadi Amini, an associate professor at Florida International University’s Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences, said that instead of removing jobs, AI is adding jobs. He said some companies are hiring workers specifically to help integrate AI into their operations.
“Initially, they try to adopt AI from some of the commercial tools, then after a while, they realize they need someone inside,” he said.
But not everyone is sold.
For Forsyth, AI is mostly about efficiency and cost savings, yet as the technology becomes more common, some marketers say its growing popularity is making some consumers run in the other direction.
Bridget Greenwald, owner of the Boca Raton-based Camden Agency for marketing, said she’s seen clients become increasingly anxious about differentiating real content from anything generated via AI.
She recently found herself reassuring a client that a video featured an actual person, after they suspected it had been created using AI.
“People are very suspicious of what’s real and what’s not,” she said.
Greenwald uses AI occasionally for brainstorming but noted her clients still tend to prefer content made by a real person.
“As much as AI is a great tool, people really do gravitate toward real production, real graphics and feeling more authentic,” she said. “The human feel.”
Her concerns echo a broader tension business owners are dealing with now, which is balancing AI’s efficiency with the value of human workers.
A recent Careerminds study found that 65% of small business owners think AI could already handle a meaningful share of at least one employee’s work. In Florida, that could mean roughly 2.6 million workers are in roles employees believe AI could partially handle.
Still, many small business owners are reluctant to actually make the swap. One-third of the participants cited loyalty as the main reason they wouldn’t replace employees with software, while others pointed to institutional knowledge, customer relationships and employees’ financial well-being.
Despite the anxiety over job losses, Christopher Boudreaux, an economics professor at Florida Atlantic University, said fears that AI will broadly replace workers are often overstated.
“It’s more likely it will transform jobs,” he said.
Rather than getting rid of entire positions, Boudreaux said AI is more likely to take over specific tasks while boosting productivity.
“Employers will be looking to hire workers who know how to use these AI tools,” he said. “The ones who know how to use AI very efficiently, productively, they will be ahead in the labor market.”
That demand is already showing up in South Florida’s classrooms, where local colleges and universities have reported surging enrollment in AI-related programs.
For small businesses in particular, Boudreaux said, AI can help level the playing field.
“This will allow them to punch above their weight,” he said.
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