AI Is Changing Business, but Justin Calabrese Says the Real Opportunity Is Human

Sept. 9, 2026 - PRLog -- Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the business world, changing how companies approach productivity, customer service, marketing, research, and everyday operations. But entrepreneur, author, and business consultant Justin Calabrese believes businesses may be focusing on the wrong question.

Calabrese brings years of firsthand experience in entrepreneurship, e-commerce, and technology to the conversation. His business ventures have included the Caldor e-commerce brand, Big J Mart, JC Surveillance, HydroSplat, and other online retail businesses. Having experienced how digital technology transformed retail and entrepreneurship, Calabrese sees AI as the next major evolution in how businesses compete and grow.

Instead of asking, "What jobs can AI replace?" Calabrese argues leaders should ask, "What can our people accomplish now that they have AI?"

Calabrese believes AI should strengthen employees rather than simply replace them. Automating repetitive tasks can give people more time to focus on customers, strategy, creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. For small businesses, AI could be particularly powerful by providing capabilities that once required larger teams and significantly greater resources.

However, Calabrese cautions that adopting technology alone does not create innovation.

"If you automate a broken process, you may simply create a faster broken process," Calabrese says.

His experience building and operating online businesses has shown him that technology is most valuable when connected to a larger business strategy. Technology should follow strategy—not replace it.

As AI transforms the workplace, Calabrese believes the winners will not necessarily be companies that eliminate the most jobs. Instead, they will be organizations that successfully combine technology with human knowledge, creativity, relationships, and leadership.

"Technology should make a good business stronger and good employees more capable," Calabrese says. "AI should be no different."

For Calabrese, the future of AI is ultimately about more than automation. It is about expanding what businesses—and the people behind them—are capable of achieving.The organizations that answer that question effectively may ultimately be the ones that define the next era of business.