SMBs are turning to AI to solve their problems - but many are still cautious to go all-in (www.techradar.com)

New research from Amex and Barclays shows UK small and medium-sized businesses are increasingly turning to AI to escape day-to-day operational bottlenecks and drive growth: 43% of small firms and 53% of medium firms plan to adopt AI within 12 months, and Barclays found 89% expect to use AI within two years for data analysis, forecasting, customer experience and cost reduction. SMBs — which make up the vast majority of businesses — see AI as a key productivity lever, with 60% predicting stronger performance by late 2025. Firms are planning concrete investments: 42% in training, 37% in digital products and 37% in R&D. But adoption is cautious. Persistent AI and digital skills shortages remain a major blocker (notably in financial services, IT/telecoms and tech), and near-term economic headwinds — inflation, rising energy costs and uncertainty around the Autumn Budget — are delaying heavier spending. For the AI/ML community this signals a big, immediate market need for turnkey, low-code/automated MLOps, domain-specific models, deployment-ready analytics and scalable upskilling programs. Success will hinge on making models easy to integrate, reducing data-ops friction, and coupling tools with accessible training so SMBs can capture efficiency and forecasting gains without large in-house AI teams.