Collective and emergent behaviors of active colloidal assemblies provide useful insights into the statistical physics of out-of-equilibrium systems. Colloidal suspensions containing microscopic active swimmers have recently been studied with much vigor to understand principles of energy transfer at low Reynolds number conditions. Using molecules of active enzymes and ångström sized organometallic catalysts it has further been demonstrated that energy can be transferred even by molecules to their surroundings, influencing substantially the overall dynamics of the systems. Monitoring the diffusion of non-reacting tracers dispersed in active solutions, it has been shown that the nature of energy transfer in systems containing different swimmers is surprisingly similar - irrespective of their differences in sizes, modes of energy transduction and propulsion strategies. These observations provide motivation not only to characterize reaction generated force fields under complex fluidic environment but also to look for possible similarity in their behavior across multiple length scales. This review discusses research results obtained so far in this direction, highlighting the common features observed regarding dynamic coupling of swimmers with their surroundings. Activity-induced force generation and its collective effects are expected to find wide importance in transport and organization of materials at smaller length scales. Underscoring the nature of reaction generated perturbations, especially under crowded cytosolic conditions, is further likely to advance our knowledge of intracellular mechanics of small molecules during various metabolic processes and chemical transformations.