Small Businesses in Israel Embrace AI Agents Instead of Hiring Staff

Small businesses in Israel are increasingly using AI agents for customer service and sales, with systems that can be deployed in minutes and cost only a few hundred shekels a month. Tasks that once required large budgets and dedicated development teams are now being handled by digital assistants that work around the clock without adding employees.

Dan Shchori, a co-founder of the startup Whtvr.ai, said the technology barrier has nearly disappeared. “What once required huge budgets is now available to every professional,” he said, adding that traditional field businesses are adopting these tools to streamline daily operations. According to him, his platform lets a business owner create an AI agent for a website or WhatsApp in about 180 seconds, with no technical background needed.

Business owners say the change is already easing day-to-day workloads. Yonatan Bresler, owner of the SeaTime yacht club, said the AI system answers customers at all hours and sometimes does so “better than we would in the office,” giving him time to focus on sailing and boat maintenance. A property appraiser named Aharon said he uses models such as Gemini to prepare reports and estimate unusual items, including by documenting jewelry-store stones and feeding the data into AI.

The trend is also reaching online platforms. Eliran Asraf, marketing manager at crypto trading platform Bits of Gold, said the company added an interactive chat tool that explains financial topics while people read, and that it significantly increased user engagement. Ben Lavie, founder of the AI school “No Code,” estimated that about $200 a month is enough to run a full service and marketing agent, including sales and ad-budget analysis. He warned that early adopters will not keep their edge for long, saying, “In two years this will be a basic requirement, not an advantage.”