What Changed?
The headlines say artificial intelligence is transforming everything — boosting productivity, slashing costs, and rewriting the rules of business. But for most small companies on Main Street, that revolution still feels out of reach.
While large corporations have poured billions into AI integration, smaller firms face a very different reality: rising costs, tighter credit, and limited access to technology talent. The promise of AI-driven efficiency hasn’t yet filtered down to the businesses that make up nearly half of America’s private-sector employment.
The Numbers
61% — of Fortune 500 companies have deployed AI tools across at least two business units, according to McKinsey’s 2025 survey.
Only 17% — of small firms report using any form of AI in daily operations, per the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
14% — the average interest rate on new small-business loans, up from 5.6% three years ago — making tech investment harder to finance.
42% — of small-business owners say they “don’t understand enough about AI” to implement it effectively.
$600 billion — the estimated productivity gap between large and small U.S. businesses by 2030 if adoption trends continue.
One of the Largest Industries Ever
That’s what NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang said about robotics. In fact, Ark Invest says it could be a $24 trillion global opportunity. That’s why it matters that both NVIDIA and Amazon helped Miso Robotics perfect its new AI-powered kitchen robot. Miso’s AI-powered kitchen robots have logged 200K+ hours for major restaurant brands like White Castle. And with the launch of their first commercial robot, Miso’s ready to scale into a $4B/year revenue opportunity.*
Here’s how Miso is redefining the $1T fast-food industry:
Disruption: Miso’s AI-powered robot, Flippy Fry Station, automates the fry station, one of the most labor-intensive and dangerous roles in the kitchen.
Ecosystem: Miso bundles its robot, software, support, and system upgrades into a single monthly fee, unlocking predictable revenue and scalable deployment that can deliver immediate impact to its customers.
Initial units of Miso’s first fully commercial Flippy robot sold out in one week. Now, they’re leveraging a new manufacturing partnership and $25M of customer financing available to scale faster than ever. Join nearly 40,000 investors in backing the future of food automation as a Miso shareholder. Just make sure to lock in your stake before October 23, the final day to invest this year.
Why It Matters
AI could become the next great economic divide. While large enterprises automate customer service, logistics, and marketing with advanced systems, small firms still depend on manual workflows and limited data. That gap compounds over time: lower productivity makes credit harder to secure, while limited funding prevents investment in the very tools that could close the gap.
This divergence risks creating a “two-speed economy” — one where corporate America enjoys compounding efficiency gains, and Main Street businesses fight to keep up. The imbalance could reshape local economies, employment, and even inflation dynamics.
Some startups are trying to bridge the gap with simplified AI solutions — tools that help small businesses forecast inventory, manage accounting, or automate marketing without custom coding. But adoption remains slow, in part because these firms are focused on survival, not innovation.
Takeaway
AI’s benefits aren’t distributed evenly — and that matters.
If Main Street can’t access the same productivity boost as Wall Street and Silicon Valley, the U.S. economy could see widening disparities in growth, wages, and opportunity. For investors, this isn’t just a technology story; it’s a signal that the next decade’s winners may be defined by who can afford to automate — and who can’t.
— Lauren
Editor, American Ledger
*This is a paid advertisement for Miso Robotics’ Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.misorobotics.com.