But let's be honest: for most SMEs, AI is not the first problem to solve.

When AI Makes Sense

AI is excellent when you have a clear, defined problem to solve, and you know from a technical perspective that it's not easy to handle with a standard development approach.

A couple of examples:

• You need to recognise patterns in messy data (think thousands of customer support tickets).
• You want a machine to "learn" preferences over time (like product recommendations).
• You're automating something that's too fuzzy for simple rules (e.g. fraud detection, image recognition).

These are cases where standard "if this then that" logic won't cut it.

When AI Is Just Noise

But here's the flip side: a lot of the "AI solutions" being sold to SMEs are… well, dressed-up databases.

A few examples we've seen in the wild:

• Document templates.
• A consultancy company thought they needed "AI document generation."
• What they really needed was a central template system pulling the right data fields.
• Zero machine learning involved.
• Expense approvals.
  • An agency pitched an AI model to decide if costs should be approved.
• Reality? A simple rules engine (if amount < £500 and category is approved → auto-approve) worked better and deterministic.
• Cheaper, faster, no black box.
• Internal task routing.
• A service firm wanted AI to "intelligently assign tasks."
• But their processes were already defined — they just weren't automated.
• Basic workflow logic solved it without a penny on AI.

What to Look For Instead

If you're an SME leader, here's the real test:

• Does the vendor start by asking how your business works?
• Do they map your processes before suggesting any tools?
• Can they explain the solution in plain English, without a hype deck?

If the answer is no, you're being sold technology for its own sake.

Our Take

AI isn't bad. In the right place, it can be game-changing.

But "AI everywhere" is like trying to fix a leaky tap with a rocket ship.

Most SMEs don't need a rocket ship. They need tools that:

• Eliminate repetitive manual work,
• Keep data in one place,
• Scale without hiring 10 more people.

Sometimes that's AI. Often, it's just smart, logical development done with your business in mind.

So next time you see an "AI-powered" stand, ask yourself:
Do I need AI? Or do I just need my tools to talk to each other finally?

Or visit TH-EY at B1052!

You can also book a free consultation during the show:
https://tbs.th-ey.com/#booking