The Growth of AI in Business and Its Impact on the Economy
AI 在商業中的成長及其對經濟的影響
Introduction
Company leaders and small business owners are changing their views on how artificial intelligence will affect jobs and how efficiently businesses operate.
公司領導者與小企業主正在改變他們對於人工智慧將如何影響工作以及企業運作效率的看法。
Main Body
There has been a clear change in how tech executives talk about AI. Instead of predicting that AI will replace most jobs, they now emphasize that it will increase productivity. Leaders from OpenAI and Anthropic suggest that human roles will remain important if employees focus on creativity and strategy. This is supported by data from EY-Parthenon, which shows that fewer CEOs now expect to reduce their staff. Furthermore, research indicates that companies using AI intensively saw a 10% higher increase in hiring than those that did not, suggesting that AI can create growth rather than just automate tasks.
科技高階主管談論 AI 的方式已發生明顯變化。他們不再預測 AI 將取代大多數工作,而是強調它將提高生產力。OpenAI 和 Anthropic 的領導者建議,如果員工專注於創意與策略,人類的角色將依然重要。EY-Parthenon 的數據支持了這一點,數據顯示現在預計會縮減編制的 CEO 減少了。此外,研究指出,密集使用 AI 的公司在招聘增長率方面比未使用者高出 10%,這表明 AI 可以創造成長,而非僅僅是將任務自動化。
In the small business sector, AI use has grown rapidly, rising from 23% in 2023 to 58% in 2025. For these companies, AI is a vital tool for reducing costs, although it brings some financial risks. Small firms pay more per employee for AI than larger companies, and some owners have lost money due to poor management of AI costs. Additionally, some small businesses have experienced problems, such as poor customer service when using automated assistants.
在小企業領域,AI 的使用率迅速成長,從 2023 年的 23% 上升至 2025 年的 58%。對於這些公司而言,AI 是降低成本的重要工具,儘管它也帶來了一些財務風險。小公司每位員工在 AI 上的支出高於大公司,且部分業主因 AI 成本管理不善而蒙受損失。此外,部分小企業在使用自動助理時遇到了問題,例如客戶服務品質不佳。
At the same time, large companies like Google are losing talented staff to specialized AI startups. This is happening because startups offer better financial opportunities and because employees feel less secure after the big layoffs of 2023. There is also a disagreement about training; while 80% of CEOs believe employees should learn AI on their own, a similar number of workers argue that the company should provide the training. Finally, experts suggest that 'strategic clarity' is more important than simply having the tools, as many employees do not use the time saved by AI to perform more valuable work.
與此同時,像 Google 這樣的大公司正將人才失去給專門的 AI 新創公司。這是因為新創公司提供更好的財務機會,且員工在 2023 年的大規模裁員後感到缺乏安全感。在培訓方面也存在分歧;雖然 80% 的 CEO 認為員工應自行學習 AI,但相同比例的員工則主張公司應提供培訓。最後,專家建議「策略清晰度」比單純擁有工具更重要,因為許多員工並未將 AI 節省下來的時間用於執行更有價值的工作。
Conclusion
The current situation shows a move from fear of the unknown to a practical phase of integration. The main challenge is no longer how to use AI, but how to make humans and AI work together effectively.
目前的情況顯示,我們正從對未知的恐懼轉向實際整合的階段。主要挑戰不再是如何使用 AI,而是如何讓人類與 AI 有效地協作。
Vocabulary Learning
⚡ The 'B2 Jump': From Simple to Sophisticated
An A2 student says: "AI helps companies make more money."
A B2 student says: "AI can increase productivity and create growth."
To move toward B2, you must stop using general words (like good, bad, make, help) and start using Collocations—words that naturally live together in professional English.
🧩 Power-Pairing (Professional Collocations)
Look at these pairings from the text. Do not learn the words alone; learn them as a single unit:
- Increase productivity (Not "make work faster")
- Reduce costs (Not "make things cheaper")
- Financial opportunities (Not "money chances")
- Strategic clarity (Not "knowing the plan")
🛠️ The 'Shift' Technique: Nominalization
B2 English often turns actions (verbs) into things (nouns) to sound more objective and academic. This is called nominalization.
| A2 Style (Verb-heavy) | B2 Style (Noun-heavy) |
|---|---|
| AI is integrating into business. | The integration of AI into business. |
| Companies are automating tasks. | The automation of tasks. |
| Businesses are growing rapidly. | Rapid growth in business. |
💡 Pro Tip for Fluency
Instead of saying "I think," use the B2 structures found in the text to express a trend:
- "There has been a clear change in..."
- "Research indicates that..."
- "Experts suggest that..."
By switching from 'I' (personal) to 'The Data/The Experts' (objective), you instantly sound more fluent and professional.