AI TURNING


ANXIETY INTO ADVANTAGE


Johann Aguirre, founder of Cachi AI, explains how small businesses can turn uncertainty around artificial intelligence into a practical advantage, and why SMEs shouldn’t fear getting started.


T


he use of artificial intelligence (AI) in UK businesses has increased from around 12% to around 35% since late 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics.


Tat said, the data shows that adoption varies significantly by


business size and market sector. While large, established businesses may be implementing AI


in complex ways, for example, using AI-powered robotics, digital twins, or autonomous manufacturing, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a valid place for AI in SMEs. For companies operating in converting, packaging, printing and


associated industries, the most immediate opportunities may not require major capital investment or complex transformation. Instead, AI can deliver practical gains by tackling repetitive


processes, reducing administrative workloads and helping employees spend more time on tasks where experience and judgement matter.


Start with the repetitive work SMEs are particularly well placed to use AI to automate repetitive or routine jobs that do not require the creativity, judgement, analysis and experience of people. Tat way, employees are freed up to do those jobs that the


company would much rather have a real, living, thinking person working on. Customer service is a great example. You can look at customer


enquiries as a pyramid where the base, i.e. the largest portion, tends to be quick and easily answered questions, but a smaller portion of enquiries are more complex and require in-depth, considered responses. By using AI-powered chatbots as the first line of defence, the vast


majority of customer enquiries can be answered within seconds, day or night. Tis frees up employee time to answer more complex or nuanced questions, with the overall result being fewer employees needed in customer service roles, and quicker answers for both those answered by the chatbots and those that are not waiting hours for a human operator to become available. Other common uses of AI for SMEs include processing invoices,


20 | September/October 2026


qualifying potential leads, screening CVs for essential information, and scheduling meetings.


Consolidating the software stack Although these individual applications can deliver useful benefits, one of the strongest opportunities for SMEs may be to use AI to consolidate their existing soſtware. Rather than adding another standalone application, AI can


potentially bring together functions that currently depend on multiple systems which were never designed to work seamlessly with one another. It is not unusual for an SME to pay for separate platforms


covering meeting transcription, customer support, email marketing, content creation, data analysis and other functions. Tese soſtware-as-a-service systems can represent a significant monthly cost. Tere is also an operational cost. Employees may spend


considerable time moving between applications, copying information from one system to another, and manually completing processes that could be connected. Every additional manual hand-off creates another opportunity


for error, regardless of how experienced the employee is. If AI can search across systems, summarise information and


carry out repetitive tasks, employees can stay in one interface for more of their work, plus spend their valuable time on tasks that genuinely require their expertise. Even a saving of 20 minutes per day can add up to substantial


gains over the space of a year, or even a month. Some SMEs have reported saving up to £500 per month, purely by using AI to consolidate soſtware systems. Another argument for consolidating soſtware is easier


governance and security. Managing fewer individual vendors and platforms means there are fewer log ins, and therefore fewer entry opportunities for cyber-attacks. Logistical factors like compliance and data retention are also simplified, saving SME owners time and, ultimately, money.


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