So What’s the Signal This Week? So what are the top news stories for SMBs this week? The current wave of technology news appears to support the trend towards AI as an independent operational partner for SMBs, and not just a novelty drafting partner. For years, independent operators used these tools primarily to write short emails and blog posts, or to summarize long notes. The latest developments show the technology is maturing into autonomous software capable of running en

But is the AI Executive Order a watershed moment, or just performance art? The administration’s long-awaited Executive Order on "Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security" was finally signed this week. This followed an intense bout of behind-the-scenes infighting over the last few weeks (and, presumably) months. While the White House is hailing the directive as a major step toward securing the nation against advanced cyber threats, a closer look at

Here's What It Looks Like and How to Defend Against It Reading time: 12 minutes | Published: May 2026 Your bookkeeper gets an email from you. Your name is in the "From" field. Your email address is right there. The message is professional, well-written, and urgent: a vendor needs to be paid today, or the job stops. Please wire $4,200 to this account number. The email is fake. You never sent it. But your bookkeeper doesn't know that yet. This is not a story about big cor

The numbers powering the AI revolution are extraordinary by any measure, and that may be the problem.

A Guide to What Works, What Backfires, and What They Actually Notice Reading time: 10 minutes | Last updated: May 2026 Here's a story you already know, even if it happened to someone else. You call a company because something went wrong. Maybe it's a billing error, or a product that didn't work, or a service appointment that got botched. You're a little frustrated before you even dial. And then a cheerful robot voice answers. You try to explain the problem. It doesn't und

This week's AI Signal Newsletter uncovers what seems to be a contradiction for SMBs using AI There appears to be a contradiction running through this week's news, and it is worth addressing it head-on. Several stories this week make a compelling, numbers-backed case that AI is already delivering real financial returns for small businesses. One study puts the revenue gap between AI-adopting and non-adopting SMBs at $400,000 per year. Another study from a major bank shows ado

...maybe not so much. This was an interesting article in Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/terdawn-deboe/2026/05/25/small-businesses-trust-ai-with-marketing-their-customers-do-not/ Of course, we have thoughts. First, as an SMB, your edge has never been volume. It's always been knowing your customers better than an algorithm does. Don't give this away for the sake of 'AI efficiency.' That said, AI has the potential to be a great equalizer or SMBs- sort of like the Colt Sing

Only about 25% of organizations that adopt AI actually achieve measurable business impact from it.

It won't solve everything. It might break a few things. But used wisely, it could be the best investment you make this decade. There is a moment, familiar to almost every small business owner who has recently explored artificial intelligence tools, that goes something like this: You sign up for a free trial, you type in a prompt, and something miraculous happens. A paragraph appears, or a spreadsheet fills itself in, or a customer email gets answered in seconds. You lean ba

The top news stories about AI for SMBs for the week ending 22 May, 2026.

Your daily roundup of the most important AI news for small and medium-sized businesses — covering productivity, operations, marketing, finance, customer service, and affordability. Updated every morning at 7:00 AM.

Do you have to trade security for speed? Intelligent use of AI can help you have both.

Many small- and medium-sized businesses struggle to afford a full-time CMO. Enter the Fractional CMO, a more cost effective and flexible solution.

Embedded banking Remember when doing business with a bank involved putting on your best suit, walking into a bank, and hoping the banker...

TL:DR – By understanding and leveraging both short-term and long-term strategies, SMBs can navigate today’s challenges while building a...

Is alignment just another buzzword, or can it really drive revenue growth? ...

Boyd's OODA Loop is an incredibly useful framework for managers who need to make decisions in the real world.

It’s a good question. Given the hype around Generative AI (like Chat GPT4) and Large Language Models (LLMs), I’m sure that most small...

This week our Friday Crib Sheet comes from an outfit we really respect - Atlanta Ventures. It's from 2018, but still absolutely relevant:...

I try to read good blogs as often as possible - this is an excellent post written originally by James Wilson at Silicon Valley Bank and...