SMEs Are Taking Up AI More Enthusiastically Than Larger Firms But Still Share The Need For More Training and Guidance

“Workers are embracing AI tools to make their lives easier, but many are doing it without employer-led guidance, safeguards or structured learning. That presents both a risk and a massive opportunity,” says Tony Pownall, co-founder of Cultivate.

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Those in professional services, information and communication technology, and utilities and energy sectors, were most likely to have AI integrated into their workflows, says the “AI at Work: How AI Is Reshaping Roles in Aotearoa” study, a survey of 829 white-collar workers.

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The most used AI tools are general assistants like ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity followed by productivity tools like Copilot and Gemini, the study found.

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Small businesses more au fait with AI than their larger firms

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While it might be assumed that larger organisations with in-house tech support would be open to the smart use of AI, Cultivate found that smaller businesses showed a higher individual confidence in using the technology with 72% indicating that they were intermediate or advanced users.

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Overall usage levels were similar across business sizes, and both face similar training gaps, says Jones.

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“The SMEs’ approach is, ‘I will take what I can get from AI efficiencies and get some time back’.”

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“With lean teams and tight resources, many SMEs are asking, ‘Can I lighten the load?’ for example having a chatbot to handle customer queries,” she says.

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“Our view is that AI users are discovering how AI can remove the mundane and make room for more meaningful, higher value work opportunities. That shift in mindset could be key to navigating what’s ahead,” says Pownall.

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Creating AI ambassadors in your business will help spread the word

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AI coach and founder of NewZealand.Ai Justin Flitter suggests that business owners create AI ambassadors at their companies to help champion and inform all staff on how the business would like AI used.

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“This could be the business owner, their EA, it could be the head of sales or business development or anyone in the business who understands how the business works and where information is stored,” he says.

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“AI is already transforming how we work. Not knowing where to start is no longer an excuse,” adds Flitter.

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When business owners are working out what to do with AI, it's about understanding the tasks or workflows that slow the business down, he says.

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Mistakes business make when using AI

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The mistakes the AI coach sees businesses making is people use AI as a Google search replacement but it’s way more powerful than that, says Flitter.

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The benefit of AI is going to come with connecting up all the different data sources in a business - all the domain knowledge working with customers, accounts, CRM, files with proposals and contracts, he explains.

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“Intelligent workflow automation or AI agents will help us find information more easily from within our business. It helps businesses contextualise and make better informed decisions, faster,” explains Flitter.

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“If it knows about your business and who you are and what you do, then it’s far more useful and accurate about your business.”

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Data privacy questions answered

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The concern around data privacy is the biggest blocker for business owners over AI, says Flitter.

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Some people think the information you put in is publicly available.

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“If you are using a free version of ChatGPT then yes, it will be used to train the algorithm. It doesn't mean I can come in and ask what you put in yesterday.”

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All of the paid AI tools have strong data privacy protocols, adds Flitter.

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“For most small businesses they’ll use Google Workspace with Gemini or Copilot in Microsoft 365, or they’re using a paid version of ChatGPT.”

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With a $40 monthly subscription you can have a know-it-all digital assistant to help you navigate everyday business challenges, he says.

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How to choose your AI trainer

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If a business owner is wanting to bring in a business coach, Flitter says to ask for their references and go to their LinkedIn page to see what they were doing before advising on AI.

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It’s good to have an AI expert, but they should also be a general business coach, he adds.

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“They will look at how the business owner wants to use AI and the return on investment which will make it worth the time and effort,” says the AI coach.

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“It’s a no-brainer for most people to be using these tools but you want a good grounding and understanding of how AI works and what it can do,” says Flitter.

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His AI academy at Learn.NewZealand.ai offers free and paid online sessions and workshops on using AI. The academy also offers companies free discovery CEO sessions.

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AI is reshaping the hiring landscape, says Cultivate

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Business leaders and owners have said that they’d pay a premium for demonstrated AI capability in the people they’re hiring, says Pownall.

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“Employers aren’t just looking for people who can use AI, they want people who can think critically about it,” explains the Cultivate co-founder.

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Over-reliance on AI without critical analysis is the number one concern among leaders, Cultivate’s research found.

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“Our data shows the most valued skill is AI awareness, an understanding of what AI can and can’t do in a work context. The top behavioural trait is critical thinking, which is the ability to question AI outputs rather than accept them blindly,” says Jones.

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True AI awareness is not just uploading a contract into ChatGPT and asking for guidance, it’s about questioning and interpreting the response, she says.

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Jones encourages employers to give their people licence to explore what AI can offer, because those skills and habits will set them apart in a fast-changing market.

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