Judging Category
Observational Research
Student Rank
Graduate
College
Business
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Pankaj Nagpal pnagpal@astate.edu
Description
Every day, millions of small business owners hear the same advice: use AI to grow your business. But when they look at the options — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek – they face an overwhelming question with no clear answer: which one should I actually use for my specific business need?
This question needs a fact-backed answer. Small businesses make up nearly all U.S. companies, about 99.9%, and employ close to half the country's workforce. Yet they adopt AI at rates 38 percentage points lower than large corporations. The issue is not cost. The issue is that no one has given them a clear, practical way to compare their options.
This research provides that comparison. I developed the AI Value Index, a scoring framework that evaluates five major AI models across two pillars: Capability and Accessibility. Capability is measured using publicly available benchmark scores, human preference rankings, and context window size. Accessibility is measured using subscription pricing tiers, free tier generosity, and ecosystem integration with existing business tools. Each dimension is scored on a standardized 1–10 rubric derived from verified, publicly available data. Accessibility is weighted at 60% to reflect the reality that small businesses choose tools based on ease of use and affordability.
The results identify clear winners for specific business needs. Gemini ranks as the best overall value. DeepSeek is the best option at zero cost. GPT-5 leads for data analysis and complex reasoning. Claude is the top choice for coding and technical automation.
Disciplines
Business Intelligence | Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Technology and Innovation
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Abid, Ahesanul Karim, "Which AI for What? An AI Value Index for Small Business Adoption" (2026). Create@State. 4.
https://arch.astate.edu/evn-createstate/2026/posters/4
Included in
Business Intelligence Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, Technology and Innovation Commons
Which AI for What? An AI Value Index for Small Business Adoption
Every day, millions of small business owners hear the same advice: use AI to grow your business. But when they look at the options — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek – they face an overwhelming question with no clear answer: which one should I actually use for my specific business need?
This question needs a fact-backed answer. Small businesses make up nearly all U.S. companies, about 99.9%, and employ close to half the country's workforce. Yet they adopt AI at rates 38 percentage points lower than large corporations. The issue is not cost. The issue is that no one has given them a clear, practical way to compare their options.
This research provides that comparison. I developed the AI Value Index, a scoring framework that evaluates five major AI models across two pillars: Capability and Accessibility. Capability is measured using publicly available benchmark scores, human preference rankings, and context window size. Accessibility is measured using subscription pricing tiers, free tier generosity, and ecosystem integration with existing business tools. Each dimension is scored on a standardized 1–10 rubric derived from verified, publicly available data. Accessibility is weighted at 60% to reflect the reality that small businesses choose tools based on ease of use and affordability.
The results identify clear winners for specific business needs. Gemini ranks as the best overall value. DeepSeek is the best option at zero cost. GPT-5 leads for data analysis and complex reasoning. Claude is the top choice for coding and technical automation.
