AI is Turning Your Customers into CEOs
More people are building brands instead of relying on big ones.
While I love to constantly read about the demise of my job, there’s another side of the AI conversation that I find even more interesting and less daunting: AI is making a new breed of CEOs.
For decades, brands won by making things consumers couldn't make themselves. We operated on a model where we bought from brands whenever we needed a product or service. The roles were clear: we, as consumers, had a problem or need, and a big brand came in to save the day. A classic capitalist love story. But AI is rewriting that familiar tale.
Consumers are becoming their own heroes.
60% of new business owners used AI to help launch their business in 2025, double the rate from two years ago 1. What was once accessible only to those with deep pockets, corporate resources, or a lucky break on Shark Tank is becoming more attainable through AI. 50% said AI made the process of starting a business significantly faster or less expensive 1. AI is giving them the ability to reclaim their own spending power. Venture capital and angel investment grew from 8% of new businesses in 2023 to 13% in 2025, while reliance on family and friends loans fell from 15% to 8% over the same period 1.
People no longer want to just buy; they want to build.
It used to be “Where can I buy this?”, to now “Could I just make this myself?” This mindset shift isn't technically new, but AI is accelerating it by helping level the playing field for small businesses in a world where large corporations try to suck up all the space and leave those without equal access to resources at a disadvantage.
While big businesses are often in the limelight, it’s small businesses that actually sustain the economy (33.3 million businesses in the United States qualify as small businesses 2). Luckily for these new AI-backed CEOs, they’re entering a market that’s already working in their favor: the share of U.S. consumers who say they shop mostly at small businesses has nearly tripled in five years, climbing from 10% in 2021 to 27% in 2026 3.
“We at Alibaba.com are redefining what it means to be a founder. Across global platforms, a new breed of entrepreneur is taking shape. They are not defined by their access to corporate resources, big bank accounts, or Silicon Valley networks. Instead, they are defined by how close they sit to the actual problem and how uniquely human their solution is.” - Rah Mahtani, Head of Marketing and Commercial Strategy at Alibaba.com4.
AI isn’t going to replace big brands overnight, so the answer isn’t for them to compete with small brands. But rather rethink who their customer is. Customers are no longer just people who buy products – they’re also founders, marketers, designers, and builders. We see this impact in various industries. Walton graduate Cameron Mercer launched a moving business, Boss Hog Moving Co, using AI after recognizing the need among students living on his college campus 5. Former U.S. Coast Guard, Adam Baker, leveraged AI to create SodaPup, a pet product company that manufactures non-toxic dog toys in America to prevent labor exploitation in other countries 6.
AI has democratized entrepreneurship; therefore, big brands need to widen the way they view the people who are buying from them. Rather than viewing this new wave of AI-enabled businesses as competition, big brands should see them as one of their fastest-growing customer segments. The brands that win these customers won't be the ones trying to wield their power over them; they'll be the ones helping them succeed.
Sources:
Gusto. “New Business Formation 2026.” Gusto Insights,https://gusto.com/resources/gusto-insights/new-business-formation-2026. Accessed 18 June 2026.
Haan, Katherine. "Small Business Statistics Of 2026." Forbes Advisor, Forbes, 26 July 2026,https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/small-business-statistics-jul-26/. Accessed 9 July 2026.
Constant Contact. “Small Business Marketing Statistics.” Constant Contact,https://constantcontact.com/blog/small-business-marketing-statistics. Accessed 18 June 2026.
“AI Is Changing How Entrepreneurs Build.” Inc., by Rah Mahtani, 2026,https://www.inc.com/rah-mahtani/ai-is-changing-how-entrepreneurs-build/91362590. Accessed 18 June 2026.
Woolsey, Blake. "How One Walton Graduate Used AI to Grow a Student Business." Arkansas News, University of Arkansas, 12 June 2026, https://news.uark.edu/articles/82460/how-one-walton-graduate-used-ai-to-grow-a-student-business. Accessed 7 July 2026.
Crenshaw, Jordan. "AI Is Transforming Small Business: A Colorado Success Story." U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2 Dec. 2024, https://www.uschamber.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ai-is-transforming-small-business-a-colorado-success-story. Accessed 7 July 2026.
