In a world where billions are spent on AI, only 5% of companies are seeing any real returns. This stark reality comes from a recent MIT study, revealing that while AI tools like ChatGPT are being adopted across industries, most businesses fail to harness AI’s true potential. Enter Margot Duek, the Mexican entrepreneur behind Al Chile Media and Converging Works, whose mission is to change the narrative for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) by helping them move from mere experimentation to earning with AI.
From Trendy Tool to Profit Engine
“The problem isn’t AI. It’s how people use it,” says Duek. Her diagnosis echoes the findings of MIT’s “State of AI in Business 2025” report: AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot have boosted individual productivity, but for most businesses, they don’t deliver measurable business results. The real winners, the 5%, are the companies that integrate AI systems capable of learning, adapting, and evolving to fit the unique context of their operations.
“Instead of using AI just to write text or make images, we build intelligent agents that automate sales, customer service, and financial operations, agents that learn and evolve,” explains Duek. “That’s where profit starts.”
The Agencies Doing What Big Corporations Can’t
MIT’s study found that mid-sized businesses are more successful than large corporations at implementing AI. The reason? SMBs have the agility to move faster, personalize more, and often partner with external specialists. This is the sweet spot for Al Chile Media and Converging Works: bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world ROI for SMBs.
Duek’s teams have deployed over 40 AI systems in the last year, helping clients save more than $500,000 and increase conversions by up to 35%. Their systems combine AI-driven sales automation, human-like voice agents, and intelligent back-office tools, cutting repetitive processes and external costs by up to 30%.
From Experiments to Learning Systems
The next frontier in AI is “Agentic AI”, systems that don’t just respond but learn, adapt, and improve with each interaction. “Businesses don’t need another chatbot. They need systems that remember their clients, understand their workflow, and act on their own without being told twice,” says Duek.
MIT researchers predict that Agentic AI will eventually lead to what they call an “Agentic Web,” where autonomous agents collaborate across systems, make decisions, and execute tasks without human intervention. And Margot Duek is already building it, from Mexico to the world.
The SMB Advantage
While large corporations are bogged down by committees and approval cycles, SMBs can move quickly, which is why they’re leading the AI revolution. “Every week we see mid-sized companies saving thousands of dollars by automating processes that once took entire teams,” says Duek. “The real challenge isn’t technical; it’s mindset. Stop treating AI like an experiment and start using it as a profit engine.”
With smaller, more agile teams and quicker decision-making, SMBs working with Al Chile Media and Converging Works often achieve in 90 days what takes larger enterprises nine months.
A New Generation of AI Agencies
From cultural institutions like the Museo del Tiempo Tlalpan to innovative tech startups across the Americas, Margot’s agencies are proving that the next AI revolution won’t come from Silicon Valley, it will come from those brave enough to cross the divide and integrate AI into every facet of their business.
“The businesses that will thrive in the next few years aren’t the ones spending the most on AI, they’re the ones teaching their AI how to think,” she concludes.
About the MIT Study
The “State of AI in Business 2025” report, produced by MIT Media Lab’s Project NANDA, analyzed over 300 enterprise AI implementations, 52 executive interviews, and 153 global surveys. Its key finding: the difference between failure and success in AI isn’t the model, it’s the ability to learn and adapt.
Ready to cross the GenAI Divide?
Visit alchilemedia.com or converging.works and book a strategic session to turn your AI experiments into profit-generating systems.
Follow: LinkedIn | @margotduekk | @alchilemedia
