From Local Shops to Future Business Kings: How Is AI Rewriting the Destiny of SMEs?
In the 21st-century information age, artificial intelligence and computing power are no longer isolated technical or academic fields. They profoundly influence every industry, every profession, and even every aspect of our daily lives. From autonomous vehicles to smart homes, from medical diagnostics to financial forecasting, AI is redefining our world. For SMEs, this is not just a technological upgrade, but a major transformation in business models and thinking, an opportunity to redefine competitiveness. Companies like the US-based "Ocado Group", Sweden's "KRY", and Singapore's "Trax" are all beneficiaries of the AI revolution, proving that through digital transformation, SMEs can also shine on the global stage, as explained below:
US-based "Ocado Group": Although Ocado initially emerged as an online supermarket, its technology division has successfully developed various robotics technologies for warehouse management. They use AI to optimize logistics processes, automating the sorting and transportation of goods, significantly increasing efficiency. Today, Ocado Group provides real-time online operational services to eight retailers worldwide. Their demand forecasting system predicts sales for over 58,000 different products sold on Ocado.com, while the "instant order" feature applies time series analysis to review historical shopping patterns to accurately predict what customers want in their basket now. They utilize machine learning programs to predict the usage rate of customers' household items and suggest products customers might have already run out of.
Sweden's "KRY": This company offers remote medical services, allowing patients to consult with doctors via video call directly through their mobile phones or computers. Using AI, KRY also provides a symptom checker tool to help patients with initial evaluations of their conditions. To date, they have accumulated over 200 million patient interactions, enabling patients to see a doctor, nurse, or psychologist online within minutes. They also combine digital and physical care, transforming how millions of people access high-quality healthcare. This means patients can seek care for more symptoms digitally, find clinics, and speak with specialists when needed, view prescription details in the app, and even order home delivery of medicines in some markets. More importantly, KRY compiles a complete care record for each customer, allowing clinicians to track patients' medication history and health information throughout their care journey.
Singapore's "Trax": Trax is a company providing retail solutions, utilizing AI and computer vision technology to analyze product placement and inventory management within stores. This allows sellers to constantly understand what's happening on the shelves of each store, so they can focus on what they do best: delighting shoppers. With Trax data and insights, sellers gain visibility into changing store conditions and SKUs, which not only allows them to better plan and execute retail strategies but also to better engage with shoppers, ensuring every real-time, data-driven decision and action helps reduce costs and accelerate revenue growth.
The above examples clearly show that artificial intelligence and computing power are bringing revolutionary changes to SMEs worldwide. However, not all SMEs have the ability or resources to independently complete such a technological transformation. In Taiwan, thanks to an excellent technological environment, the government has the opportunity and capability to assist SMEs with digital transformation. Through financial aid, technical training, and resource sharing, the government can help SMEs find their position in this wave of technology, achieve "proactive deployment," and meet future digital challenges. As AI and computing power continue to advance, the competitive landscape for SMEs is also becoming more intense. Only by maintaining a sensitive market sense and adapting to technological innovation in a timely manner can SMEs stay ahead in this race.