The AI Front Office Chart
Every trend in local-business AI, mapped on one chart — where I think it sits on its adoption curve right now, and where I think it's headed.
Reviewed by Maxime Houle, Founder, SeldonFrame. I build one of these tools — every ranking here says when the others win. Facts checked July 2026.This is completely subjective. Every line on this chart is my belief, not a research finding. I run a company in this space, so I'm biased — I'm telling you that up front instead of hiding it behind a methodology section.
I'll keep updating this chart. As my thinking changes, the curves change — this is a living document, not a one-time snapshot. Check the "updated" date above for the last edit.
Dashed lines are projection — opinion, not a forecast model. Hover a point for detail.
This is the one I'd bet the company on, and I have. Two years ago 'AI phone agent' was a party trick; now it's the single highest-intent search term in this whole space. I think voice keeps climbing through 2028 before it plateaus into 'boring infrastructure,' the same way chat widgets did.
MCP is the biggest structural shift I've seen since the API economy itself, and most SMB software companies still don't know it's happening. In three years 'does it have an MCP server' will be as standard a question as 'does it have an API' is today. We built our whole integration layer on this bet.
I think this category peaked and is now in slow fatigue. Agencies I talk to love what it unlocked but are tired of the per-seat sprawl and the Zapier-shaped duct tape holding it together. It's not going away — it's a real business with real customers — but the growth story is behind it, and AI-native platforms are the thing eating its edges.
The mirror image of the last one. As BYOK and cheap inference make COGS close to zero, flat pricing stops being a sacrifice and becomes the honest way to charge. I expect the SMB software buyer to increasingly treat metered/seat pricing as a red flag rather than a feature by 2028.
This is moving faster than most local-business owners have noticed yet. 'Best plumber near me' is quietly becoming a question you ask an assistant, not a search you scroll. I think the businesses that treat this like the next SEO — structured facts, consistent citations, real reviews — win disproportionately over the next few years.
Think I'm missing a trend, or wrong about where one sits? Tell me at x.com/seldonframe — I read every reply and update the chart directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is this data or opinion?
Opinion, loudly. This chart is not a research report, a survey, or a model of real adoption numbers — it's Maxime Houle's personal read on where each trend sits, visualized as a curve. Treat every line as a belief, not a measurement.
How often is it updated?
Monthly-ish. Max edits the underlying takes and curves whenever his thinking moves, not on a fixed schedule — check the "updated" date at the top for the last edit.
What's the methodology?
One founder's judgment, annotated with real events. The curves come from watching this market closely (and building in it) — the only "data" involved is that annotations are pinned to real, publicly verifiable dates (a model shipping, a regulation taking effect), never invented statistics.
Can I suggest a trend to add?
Yes — reply to Max on x.com/seldonframe with the trend and where you think it sits. He reads every one and updates the chart directly.
More opinion + tools: the one-person company OS, the CRM pricing index chart, or browse our automations.
Building on the rising side of this chart
SeldonFrame is my bet on voice AI, MCP, and flat pricing all winning. Paste a business's website and it builds the site, CRM, booking calendar and AI receptionist in about 3 minutes — free, before you sign up.