Agentic business: the new growth engine for SMEs (www.techradar.com)

A new era dubbed "agentic business" is gaining traction among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they increasingly adopt AI technologies to enhance their operations. Recent data from the British Chambers of Commerce indicates that the percentage of UK SMEs using AI has surged from 35% in 2025 to 54%. This shift signifies a transition from passive AI assistance—such as automating writing and summarization—to more advanced, autonomous AI agents that can execute a range of business functions end-to-end. This includes tasks like building digital storefronts, supporting marketing efforts, and offering dynamic pricing, which enables SMEs to make faster and more informed decisions. The significance of agentic AI lies in its ability to level the playing field between SMEs and larger companies, traditionally advantaged by their resources. With agentic AI, smaller businesses can access capabilities that previously required larger teams or expensive IT systems, allowing them to explore new markets and product categories with reduced risk and complexity. As SMEs move beyond mere productivity gains to focus on strategic performance, the greatest value of AI will emerge from its real-time insights and decision-making support, empowering business owners to engage more effectively with their operational challenges. In this evolving landscape, the question for SMEs is not if AI can help, but how quickly they can leverage these intelligent agents to drive growth and resilience.