We Observed SMEs’ Interest in AI at WIN EURASIA

During our visit to WIN EURASIA, we at X Mind Solutions had the opportunity to meet people from different areas of industry. What stood out most was the genuine interest in artificial intelligence shown by SMEs with little connection to the software and IT world. Seeing that the desire to learn about technology extends beyond technology companies offered a valuable opportunity to look more closely at how businesses make sense of AI.

Our observation at the fair was that AI is also sparking curiosity in sectors such as manufacturing, logistics and retail. What stood out was openness to learning rather than technical expertise. This interest should not be interpreted as direct evidence of widespread adoption or investment decisions. Curiosity is a meaningful starting point for businesses to become familiar with the technology; moving towards implementation requires a separate assessment of needs, existing processes and technical conditions.

For a business with little connection to software and IT, the first step towards understanding AI may be to focus on business needs before technical terminology. Questions about which tasks are repetitive, where time is spent accessing information and which processes require human judgment can help establish this framework. In this way, general curiosity about technology can turn into concrete questions grounded in the business’s own ways of working.

At this point, it is important not to treat AI agents, automation workflows and system integrations as interchangeable concepts. Which parts of a workflow require AI, which steps can be carried out using predefined rules and how to connect with existing systems should each be assessed separately. For SMEs, the right starting point is to define a clearly scoped need and the expected functionality rather than seek the most comprehensive solution.

Our main impression from the WIN EURASIA visit was that businesses outside the technology sphere also have a strong curiosity about learning AI. At X Mind Solutions, we value addressing this curiosity through clear explanations and an assessment approach based on business needs. A productive initial conversation about AI should cover not only what the technology can do, but also where it is needed and where human oversight is required.