Why our Co-Founder felt he had to represent SMEs
Scotland's AI Strategy 2026–2031 was published in March 2026. I was part of the advisory group that helped shape it, and I wanted to write about why I got involved, and what I was trying to do.
Put simply I was worried that nobody like us would be at the table.
The AI conversation in 2024 and 2025 got loud very fast. And most of that noise came from the same direction large technology companies, major consultancies, well-funded research institutions. Most of them with very legitimate things to say. But all of them, also, operating at a scale that bears almost no resemblance to how most Scottish businesses work.
UrbanTide is a micro SME. We're a small team. We work with public sector organisations on data, technology and AI, helping understand how people move around communities, how the sustainable energy transition can be delivered, and how clients can make better decisions with the information they already have.
How AI is impacting SMEs
Our businesses position is likely better than most in that we've been adapting and inventing AI applications for a number of years. However its for application for key societal problems - we're not competing to create new large language models. Not that doing that is bad of course, just that it means we are adopting the latest technologies that are changing rapidly.
And that, to varying degrees, is the situation most small Scottish businesses are in. AI isn't something we're founding but something that we are adopting and adapting to, whether we're ready or not. It's in the tools we're using, the procurement processes we're navigating, and very importantly, the expectations of the clients and we're accountable to.
AI Strategy Input
When I joined the AI Sub-group of Scottish Technology Council to help shape the new AI Strategy, that's the perspective I tried to represent. Not "how do we make Scotland a world leader in AI development" but "how does this strategy actually help a 10-person company in Dumfries, or a community development trust in the Highlands, or a social enterprise trying to digitise its services without a dedicated IT team?"
I pushed, wherever I could, for language and commitments that would speak to those organisations. For recognition that the barriers to AI adoption for small organisations aren't mainly technical, they're about trust, capacity, and time. For acknowledgement that the risks of AI aren't evenly distributed, and that the businesses least able to navigate them are often the ones with the most to lose.
Did I succeed? The strategy is a compromise, as all strategies are. There are things in it I'm pleased about and things I'd have pushed further. But I believe the process was genuine, and I believe the people driving it cared about getting it right.
The strategy is live now. I'd encourage anyone running a small business in Scotland to read it. Not because it has all the answers, but because the conversation it's trying to start is one we all need to be part of. Read it here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-ai-strategy-2026-2031/
Can UrbanTide help you in AI Adoption?
An increasing challenge for organisations is "how to use our data with AI responsibly?"
The answer isn’t only the newest models. It’s also metadata, lineage, governance and access control on every dataset. Without that, AI can be a huge risk. Our platform "uSmart" does that work for you, so AI, partners, and staff all get the right data with an audit trail. Plus our own data fused across your area, ready to query with AI. Get in touch to find out more hello@urbantide.com
