David Heacock, the CEO of air filter maker Filterbuy, says artificial intelligence is poised to deliver its biggest economic impact not in Silicon Valley but in everyday, blue-collar industries long weighed down by operational friction.
AI Shifts Leverage To Everyday Businesses
Heacock reflected on his journey from teenage web designer to head of a $260 million domestic manufacturing company.
He argued that AI's true power lies in expanding leverage for practical, non-tech businesses rather than replacing workers, according to a report by Fortune on Sunday.
"Effort scales poorly, but leverage compounds," Heacock wrote, recalling how his early income was capped by the number of hours he could work.
That lesson later guided him toward building Filterbuy around a "boring" but essential product with steady demand.
Why AI matters More To Plumbers Than Programmers
According to the CEO, AI will have a greater effect on trades such as plumbing, HVAC, and local manufacturing than on software development.
Tasks like scheduling, invoicing, customer follow-ups, and forecasting create friction that limits growth.
"AI doesn't eliminate the need for skilled labor," he said. "It removes the drag around it."
At Filterbuy, AI has been used to improve forecasting, reduce errors, and speed up decision-making without replacing factory workers.
"The value didn't come from automation alone," he said. "It came from giving our team better tools and fewer obstacles."
AI Adoption Gap Fuels Bubble Fears
Earlier, Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) reported strong U.S. growth in February, highlighting a global divide in AI adoption, with CEO Alex Karp saying Europe and Canada lagged behind the U.S. and China.
Palantir's revenue hit $1.407 billion for the quarter, driven by U.S. sales, as clients increasingly deployed AI at scale.
Meanwhile, Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio warned that AI was in the "early stages of a bubble," with valuations rising faster than companies could turn adoption into profits.
He noted that most AI pilots remained unprofitable and cautioned that U.S. monetary policy could further fuel market excesses, while emphasizing diversification and pointing to gold's strong performance last year.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
