Air IT launches AI services to close SME decision gap

Air IT Group has launched a suite of artificial intelligence services for small and medium-sized businesses, designed to address what it describes as an AI decision gap.

The Nottingham-based technology services provider is targeting organisations under pressure to adopt AI but that have not yet defined the business outcomes they want from the technology.

Air IT supports more than 2,000 SMEs and mid-market organisations in the UK. The new offer includes an AI Accelerator programme, an Air Agent Marketplace, bespoke AI agent development and managed services for businesses that want ongoing support after deployment.

The launch comes as ministers push for broader AI adoption among British businesses. Government estimates suggest that a 1% improvement in productivity could add £94 billion to UK gross domestic product, increasing pressure on smaller companies to show practical returns from AI spending.

Outcome first

Air IT said its AI Accelerator is built around workshops for senior leaders that start by defining business goals before selecting tools. The process begins with an in-person AI Envisioning Day, followed by a roadmap covering areas such as productivity, agentic AI, data, modernisation and governance.

The company is also introducing a marketplace of pre-built AI agents for specific tasks, with initial use cases focused on tender responses, policy and compliance work. Where those tools do not fit, it will build tailored agents around a customer's own processes.

The approach reflects a broader shift in the market, as advisers and service providers try to steer customers away from generic AI experimentation and towards projects with clear operational targets. For many SMEs, the challenge is less about access to AI software than deciding which internal process to change first and how success should be measured.

Lee Johnson, Chief Technology Officer at Air IT Group, said: "AI has the potential to be a major productivity driver for SMEs, but only if businesses can move from interest and experimentation to focused execution. Many organisations know AI matters, but they need help deciding where to start, what to prioritise and how to turn the opportunity into measurable business value. This launch is about giving customers the confidence and capability to invest in AI in a way that is structured, responsible and aligned to the outcomes they want to achieve."

Customer example

Air IT said it has already used the model with Colchester Global Investors, which completed an AI Accelerator engagement and is now developing an RFP and DDQ agent. The tool is intended to reduce time spent answering repetitive questionnaires and make approved information easier for staff to access.

Trevor Denton, Chief Executive Officer at Colchester Global Investors in London, said: "When we first started exploring AI, we wanted to move beyond the hype and understand where it could genuinely create value for the business. Air IT Group's AI Accelerator provided a structured framework to do exactly that.

"Rather than leading with solutions, they challenged our thinking, helped us identify the areas with potential for meaningful impact and turned what had been a broad strategic conversation into a focused set of priorities and practical next steps. We have much greater clarity on where we're investing our efforts and why."

Air IT said the launch extends its AI work beyond Microsoft Copilot and draws on its own use of automation and AI across the business over the past three years. The company described itself as a "Customer Zero", meaning it tested and expanded internal AI use before taking the services to market.

That internal experience is likely to matter in a market where many customers remain wary of buying AI consulting without clear evidence of implementation. Service providers have increasingly sought to differentiate themselves by showing they have deployed similar systems inside their own organisations, particularly around governance, data handling and workflow redesign.

SME pressure

Barney Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at Air IT Group, said: "SMEs are under pressure to act on AI, but speed alone does not lead to better decisions. Too often, businesses start with the technology before defining the problem, the value they expect to create, or how success will be measured.

"The next phase of AI adoption will be defined by execution. SMEs need solutions that are practical, secure and ready to use, but also focused on the work that will make the biggest difference to their business. The value is not in adopting AI for its own sake, but in applying it where it can improve decisions, remove friction and create measurable progress.

"That is the gap we want to close. We want to give SMEs a clearer route into AI, one that helps them move with pace, focus and control."