GAI-DH17: Transforming SMEs With AI

Transforming SMEs with AI is a 2-day instructor-led course designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) harness the power of artificial intelligence for practical business improvement. This hands-on, team-based workshop goes beyond theory—equipping participants with real-world AI tools, prompt engineering techniques, and department-specific strategies to drive innovation, automation, and growth.

Day 1 sets the foundation by introducing the AI landscape, including Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, MidJourney, Claude) and Analytical AI, and how SMEs across industries are already benefiting from it. Participants will learn prompt engineering fundamentals to better interact with AI tools and complete hands-on exercises relevant to their roles.

The rest of Day 1 explores AI in specific SME functions, including:

• HR: Automating payroll, improving hiring processes, and employee engagement

• Finance: Budgeting, forecasting, fraud detection, and reporting

• Operations: Procurement automation, contract analysis, and inventory forecasting

Day 2 focuses on applying AI within sales and marketing—such as lead generation, customer personalization, and AI-powered virtual assistants—as well as training and development, using AI for employee upskilling, gamified learning, and performance tracking.

The course concludes with a departmental AI roadmap workshop, where participants will collaborate on realistic implementation plans for their organization, present to peers, and receive feedback.

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Understand how AI can be tailored for SME challenges and workflows

• Confidently design and optimize AI prompts for productivity

• Use AI tools to improve processes across departments

• Build actionable AI plans that align with business goals

This course is ideal for leadership teams, managers, and staff from HR, finance, operations, sales, and training who want to embrace AI in a sustainable, impactful way.