Artificial intelligence is advancing the tech game at an unprecedented rate, making a wealth of managerial possibilities possible for salons of all sizes. We asked leaders in the salon space the following question:

How is AI changing the game for owners of salons, spas and barbershops in the near future, and why are you excited?

“The shift I'm watching most closely is the moment voice AI crossed the threshold from tool to teammate. Twelve months ago, the AI voice agents were good. Today, they are indistinguishable from a well-trained receptionist on the other end of the line. The receptionist role isn't disappearing - it's evolving into something more strategic. What excites me is what this does to the playing field. The independent salon losing 30% of calls outside business hours can now capture 100% of them, 24/7. A single-chair owner in a small town can now operate with the same infrastructure as the largest chain in the country - and, for the first time, deliver an experience that matches or exceeds what the giant delivers.” —AdrianoDi Giulio, CEO, Aura 300

“I’m looking forward to next-level AI - not just merely reporting, but business consulting to provide feedback you don’t know to ask. Imagine management software that recognizes patterns, watches for trends, offers solutions to eliminate pain points, and suggests ways to improve and grow your business, all without prompting or internalizing data. Just think how such features could help you coach your team, intuitively manage clients, and implement ways for your salon to offer next-level service.” —LoriObiedzinski, Director of Client and Partner Relations, Aura Salonware & Rosy Salon Software

“One development we're watching closely is deeper, more native integration between AI and the booking platforms salons already run on - and we're not just watching it, we're building it. BeautyDeskAi’s EVE already integrates with Square, so salons can manage bookings and client communication in one connected system rather than juggling separate tools. We designed EVE to work alongside a salon's existing front desk staff, or to run the front desk solo. Our true goal is to utilize technology for humans to be with humans, and to make sure no call, text, or booking opportunity falls through the cracks. What excites us most is how much further these types of integrations can go: the more deeply EVE plugs into the platforms salons already trust, the more she can act on.” —Universe Walker, Founder & CEO, BeautyDeskAi

“We're watching AI shift from general purpose to industry-specific, and for salons that changes everything. Premium communication has always been a budget question. Big chains can staff a front desk that answers every call and never misses one. Independents cannot. AI erases that difference, handling personalized, always-on client communication so owners and stylists can focus on the person in the chair. What excites us is this: service does not start when a client walks in. It starts on the first phone call. When that moment feels premium, a client already believes they have chosen a premium salon, regardless of its size. That is the game-changer for small owners.” —Sabarish Dhanarajan, Founder & CEO, BookingBee.ai

“AI is advancing how we book appointments, answer client requests, promote our business, predict future revenue, identify areas for growth, find patterns and organize our staff. I'm also curious if our users could use AI to create their own features within the platform - that'd be REALLY cool.”

—Shannon Wotjkowski, VP of Product Development, Inspire by STX

"The development I'm watching most closely is ambient AI - the shift from AI as a tool you open to AI that operates continuously in the background of your business. Today, most owners experience AI in discrete moments: a chatbot answers a question; a report generates a summary. What's coming is fundamentally different. Ambient AI will monitor your business in real time, flagging a guest who's overdue for a visit, surfacing a front desk gap before it impacts the experience, adjusting recommendations based on what's trending in your market. For owners, the hardest part of running a salon isn't the work—it's the cognitive load of running the business while doing the work. Ambient AI doesn't ask you to carve out time to use it. It works while you work. The instincts of a 20-year owner will be accessible to every owner, at any stage. That's the opportunity." —JohnHarms, Founder & Chairman, Millennium Systems International

“Surge is closely monitoring the continued development of predictive AI and automated business intelligence. Soon, this technology will help salon owners move beyond reviewing past performance and begin anticipating what their clients and teams may need next. By analyzing client concerns, product recommendations, purchasing behavior, and stylist activity, AI could help identify emerging retail trends, forecast product demand, reveal education opportunities, and suggest more targeted marketing strategies. This is exciting because it will give salon owners clearer, more actionable insights without requiring hours of manual analysis, helping them make faster decisions and create more personalized client experiences.” —BillyDavidson, Founder & CEO, Occipital Marketing

"Today, every salon owner and their team are facing a wave of AI overwhelm. Every day, there seems to be a new tool or solution arriving in our industry, including our own here in Phorest, but many of them feel like answers searching for a question. What can truly change things isn't just having more tools: it's using AI to uncover the specific questions you need to be asking about your unique business. We shift AI’s role from offering generic tools or answers to revealing your challenges and gaps, and what you should do to tackle them, and ultimately to empower you to cut through the noise, pick solutions, and drive meaningful conversations and growth for your business." —Barry Quinn, President, North America, Phorest Software

“The primary technological development that we're monitoring is the shift in AI from conversational tools into something that can actually understand and act on real business data. As recently as a few years ago, LLMs could barely perform basic math problems; now we're seeing a paradigm shift in how financial problems are solved as a result of them. Salon owners will be able to utilize these tools for payroll, scheduling, and actual business management rather than sifting through confusing reports and spreadsheets.” —Barbara Pierce, Co-owner, Strategies

“The game-changer we are watching isn't a single feature. It's the rise of an AI workforce: a team of agents that hand off to each other and get real work done, on one shared foundation of business data. Today, most owners' AI experience is a single agent doing a single task, like answering the phone. The next wave puts an agent into every part of running the business. The real game-changer is when these agents start handing off work to each other. The agent watching the schedule spots under-booked Thursdays and passes it to the agent that runs marketing, which fills the calendar with a personalized offer to lapsed guests. Nobody ran a report or briefed anyone; it simply happens. —SudheerFounder & CEO, Zenoti