The SME Forum

Artificial Intelligence for SMEs: Opportunities and Prospects

15 Jun , 10:00–11:30
Russian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Forum
Congress Centre, conference hall D4

According to a Stanford University report, investment in artificial intelligence is at the all-time high. To quote the report: “the total global investment in AI, including private investment, public offerings, M&A, and minority stakes, increased by 40% in 2020 for a total of USD 67.9 billion. M&A made up the majority of total investment.” In Russia, a gap was emerging at the same time. While large companies, especially IT giants and the financial corporations, have successfully implemented artificial intelligence systems to optimize their business processes, SMEs have had very limited budgets for the integration of IT solutions or complex technological products. Today, this gap is closing. Neural network-based solutions are becoming available to SMEs, both in terms of budget and in terms of the lack of need for separate skilled personnel. Nevertheless, the question remains for many entrepreneurs: what exactly can artificial intelligence do for their business? What can a neural network improve business processes and what benefits will it bring? What should be considered when implementing AI solutions?

Moderator
Anastasia Pavlenko, Deputy Executive Director, Director for Strategic Partnerships, Innopraktika

Panellists
Kirill Varlamov, Head, Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF)
Aleksei Kashtanov, Chief Executive Officer, Platforma
Sergey Kurbatov, Deputy Head of Administration of the Lipetsk Region
Alexey Logantsov, Chief Executive Officer, Business‑Soft
Anna Nikitchenko, Chief Executive Officer, Smart Meal Service
Semyon Tenyaev, Founder, TenChat
Rustam Tikhonov, Director of the Department of Strategic Development and Innovations, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Broadcast