Their findings show that many business leaders still don't understand how AI can change the performance of their organizations. The key lies in decision-making AI, or “decision intelligence,” but what does that actually mean?
According to a survey by YouGov published in August 2025, 31% of small business leaders already use AI-powered tools, and another 15% of plans, so just 19% use AI for decisions within the business. Surprisingly, Yougov's press release on a new person has won a surprising tone at the notion of using AI to support decision-making, “given the well-known trends in technology that occasionally hallucinates answers.”
The sentence emphasizes the lack of understanding on the part of the author. This probably reflects some broader misconceptions and assumptions. What does AI mean when it comes to business? And if you think of it as ChatGpt or Microsoft Copilot and don't apply AI at a higher level to help make important business decisions, are we missing out on the trick?
Misunderstandings and mixed messages
The confusion is often found in the wide brush with “ai” drawn on it. The term can include different use cases, just like recipe suggestions and predictive analytics engines. This blurs the distinction between novelty and need between computing-intensive curiosity and transformative business decision support.
YouGov data highlights that only 29% of small businesses have in-house AI expertise. Others are left external suppliers or discreet. The gap in understanding is a fertile foundation for misconceptions about reliability, risk and returns.
I consider the solution to two things. First, it provides the need for education. In particular, small and medium-sized businesses and business leaders within the mid-sized market need better support from the public and private sectors to understand how AI can significantly improve the performance of their companies.
Second, tailored delivery. AI is most effective when applied within systems customised to each company's data, culture and decision-making habits. It's not the time to be considered a ready-made tool to buy from the shelves.
Decision Intelligence
Generated and Agent AI can help streamline desk-based tasks and automate customer service, but the true potential of AI is locked in “decision intelligence.” For most SMEs, this decision AI is something that really boosts the bottom line.
Decision Intelligence involves combining organizational data and uses a custom machine learning model that directly answers questions asked by business leaders.What's going on in my business? ”, “Why is that happening?”, “What should I do next?” I explain that you can look around the corner and look at the corner.
These AI tools allow businesses to deliver tangible results in weeks rather than years, and leverage data from multiple sources, including marketing, sales, finance, HR, operations, and more to provide practical and accountable intelligence.
Take Pet Stop from the Irish retail chain as an example. Using Galvia's AI-powered platform, we created a single connected view of data, disassembled internal silos, allowing faster and smarter decisions at all levels of the organization. Intelligent prompts, real-time predictions and clear insights have led their team to act with greater confidence and agility, from headquarters to the field. As the founder and CEO told me, “It was like turning on the lights.”
The initial results included the best online sales performance outside of holidays, and launched a customer campaign that recovered 2.5% revenue dip without spending on advertising, prioritizing retention over acquisitions, and delivers a much stronger ROI.
Intelligent adoption call
Small and medium-sized businesses are still in the early stages of AI adoption. I often hear leaders say they can see the possibilities of AI, but I don't know which problems to solve first.
My advice: Start with one dataset, one decision, or one assignment. Often, the most powerful starting point is to remove value from what you already have. The risk is that when you try to do it all, you will have to do nothing.
There are more structured ways that encourage leaders can build confidence in AI. Initiatives such as the dedicated AI adoption accelerator program give business directors the opportunity to understand the fundamentals, explore the possibilities of their own data, and leave practical next steps to drive impact. The more SMEs have access to such support, the more clear it becomes from the AI confusion.
