AI is no longer a buzzword – it’s becoming a survival skill

Never before has the business environment been changing so fast - so founders flocked to hear experts discuss how to use AI to transform productivity, marketing, and sales, and the escalating importance of cybersecurity in a hyperconnected world, at this year’s SME XPO.

The Future Tech stage featured over 20 leading experts, including former TV Dragon Piers Linney, Bobby Idoghu of The RAD Consulting Group, and representatives from the City of London Police, Dell Technologies, and BT Business.

With a focus on practical strategies rather than abstract buzzwords, speakers painted a vivid picture of how SMEs can leverage AI and other tech.

Idogho advised founders to map out their customers’ journey to “identify bottlenecks and manual processes, then pinpoint where AI can have immediate impact, whether automating manual tasks, speeding up call handling, or improving lead generation.” He said wavering over AI while competitors charge ahead can lead to lost market share, and urged businesses to make this part of the investment case: “not just ‘what do we gain,’ but ‘what do we stand to lose if we do nothing?’” he said.

Brian Horsburgh, UK SMB Director at Dell Technologies, provided compelling insights from the frontline of sales, where he said AI helps teams better answer customers’ question.

Idoghu flagged tools like Walluxy, which allow businesses to scrape LinkedIn data into their CRM systems and automate outreach, as changing his lead generation. Andrew Grant, Partner for Artificial Intelligence at Dx³, said he used AI platforms, including Claude, to supercharge marketing planning. He described a recent project where he ran a 9000-cell spreadsheet through one AI platform, then evaluated business impact, generated visual mood boards, and even produced some promotional video concepts, all thanks to Claude, DALL·E, and Sora:

“It’s not yet infallible - but it breaks the ‘blank page syndrome’, and the sheer speed and versatility are unlocking creativity and really slashing the time to market in ways that were unimaginable a year ago"

While AI offers transformative potential, SMEs must also confront the growing cybersecurity risks - some of which artificial intelligence is accelerating, according to another expert panel at SME XPO, Cybersecurity and Ransomware: The SME Survival Guide. Inspector Charlie Morrison from the City of London Police’s Cyber Griffin programme, Amanda Finch, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Information Security, and Professor Steven Furnell from the University of Nottingham, alongside Mark Child of Quantum Evolve, warned that small businesses are underprepared even whilst attackers are evolving, and basic cyber hygiene is more urgent than ever.

One clear message that the audience took away was that SMEs are now preferred targets for cybercriminals - because with limited internal expertise and more stretched resources, they’re easier to breach. The expert panel warned hackers are no longer ‘just’ encrypting data and demanding ransoms, but exposing sensitive files and launching extortion campaigns. Yet the initial point of failure in most SME cyberattacks is not sophisticated, but due to human error: clicking a link, trusting a spoofed email, or failing to update critical software.

The panel’s prevention advice encompassed multi-factor authentication, data backups stored offsite, staff training to recognise phishing and social engineering attacks, which remain the most common entry point. They warned that AI-driven phishing emails can now mimic real people’s tone and writing style, making them far more convincing. Generic "click here" emails are outmoded - now, it's a message from “your accountant” referencing a real invoice or transaction.

The panel recommended short, regular, practical training sessions that show staff what real-world attacks look like, and to have a response prepared in advance. Morrison from the City of London Police offered a clear framework for what to do if your company is attacked:

Other resources SME XPO’s cybersecurity panel suggested:

• The NCSC Small Business Guide provides actionable, non-technical advice.
• Cyber Griffin, run by City of London Police, offers free online briefings, staff awareness training, and tabletop exercises for businesses.
• Butterfly.Film, a short dramatised case study, offers a realistic portrayal of what it’s like to be a small business hit by ransomware, and can be a useful training and awareness tool.