How to make AI work for SMEs in Scotland
Why? Because the adoption gap isn't just technical, it's resourcing, skills, and fear of missteps. The risk of data leakage when using open AI platforms is real, and for small businesses without a CTO or data protection lead, the stakes feel too high. One mistake, an unintentional exposure of client information or commercial IP, and the verdict on AI becomes swift and damning: too risky, too complex: not for us.
But there's another path. Rather than trying to out-build global tech giants on foundational models, we should focus on the application layer: building intelligent, domain-specific solutions for real-world tasks in professional services, manufacturing, construction, and every corner of the SME economy.
This is where security, data residency, and usability matter most. The application layer is not a black box, it's an enabler, a multiplier of human potential. And it's where productivity gains lie, automating admin in accountancy firms, streamlining compliance for legal SMEs, or empowering trades businesses to quote, schedule, and invoice intelligently.
To unlock this we need to support SMEs with AI adoption, and we must build an army of application layer AI specialists who understand both the tech and the SME business reality.
These will be AI-empowered consultants, digital champions, and implementation experts who can deploy secure, right-sized solutions that work in the messy, fragmented, under-pressure environments where SMEs live.
A Scotland that leads in application layer AI would not only boost productivity and competitiveness across our domestic economy; it would export that know-how globally, earning a reputation for practical, high-impact innovation.
In AI world, six months of delay is like losing 3.5 years of competitive edge. We simply cannot wait for market forces alone to tease this future into existence.
To stay in the race, Scotland must:
Invest in SME enablement programmes , not just grand strategies.
, not just grand strategies. Fund AI application bootcamps , fellowships, and placement schemes to develop AI practitioners for the frontlines.
, fellowships, and placement schemes to develop AI practitioners for the frontlines. Establish secure AI platforms that SMEs can trust - with data controls, auditability, and domain-specific plugins.
that SMEs can trust - with data controls, auditability, and domain-specific plugins. Promote success stories of safe, effective AI in everyday businesses, showing not what's possible in theory, but what's already working in practice.
The National Robotarium and AI Scotland programme are the seeds of something powerful. But to grow them, we must now irrigate the fields - especially in the SME landscape, where the economic multiplier is highest and the support is lowest.
Let's not wait for the future to happen. Let's shape it, securely and boldly, from the ground up.
Dr Brian Williamson is the Chief Strategy Officer at Kreoh, specialising in the application layer of AI.
Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk
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