The Three Biggest Mistakes SMEs Make When Adopting AI
Here are highlights from my recent article The Three Biggest Mistakes SMEs Make When Adopting AI published on Nov 11 in Canadian SME Magazine.
❌ Mistake #1: Giving AI More Responsibility Than It Can Handle
One out of four ChatGPT answers is inaccurate, according to an Open AI article Why language models hallucinate. When AI is tasked with high-stakes or complex work, the effort required to verify its output can exceed the time it would take to complete the task manually.
? Start small. Use AI for low-risk, routine, or data-rich tasks that require minimal oversight, like summarizing notes, managing emails, or flagging invoice errors.
❌ Mistake #2: Chasing Prompts Instead of Building Processes
The internet is packed with endless lists of “AI prompts for every situation.” The truth? Prompts alone rarely create ROI. They often create more noise than value.
As Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang says, “AI automates what has the most data — not what seems simplest.”
? Real returns come from using AI to automate workflows that are connected to your data. Choose a low-risk, high-volume, repeatable process, test, refine, and scale gradually.
❌ Mistake #3: Failing to Provide AI Governance
Many SMEs hand out tools like Copilot or ChatGPT to their teams and simply hope for the best.
The results? Without clear direction, employees tend to fall into two traps: avoidance or misuse.
Some avoid AI, worried it might replace them, while others dive in without guidance, unintentionally exposing data or producing inconsistent results.
? Before introducing any AI tool, business owners need to establish proper governance. At a minimum, it should include an AI Use Policy, recommended use cases, training, uploaded SOPs, and role-based access rights.
✨ Three Takeaway
✅Automate only the tasks AI can reliably manage without heavy supervision.
✅Maximize ROI by automating repeatable, low-risk, data-driven workflows.
✅Establish strong AI governance from day one.
? Solopreneur with AI
Alisa Wu, the 22-year-old entrepreneur proving that solopreneurship has a new meaning in the age of AI. Wu just raised an impressive $2 million in a pre-seed round for her new startup, Lucent, all while working completely alone.
How did she do it? Wu famously credited AI as her “Chief Technology Officer,” using AI to handle the technical workload typically requiring a co-founder or a full team.
? Learn more: Me, myself and AI
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Talk soon,
Natalia