Small firms look for state assistance in AI campaign - Bangkok Post
Mr Noppong says tax incentives are insufficient for SMEs. Small businesses have called for subsidies, clinics to help them adopt small versions of artificial intelligence (AI), and preventive measures to mitigate potential risks.
Noppong Teeravorn, president of the Federation of Thai SME Association, proposed three measures to make small AI more accessible to smaller enterprises, helping them develop and grow their businesses. Small AI refers to an approach that uses compact, purpose-built models instead of massive cloud infrastructure.
The first proposal provides trial vouchers or partial subsidies for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), encouraging them to experiment with small AI.
Mr Noppong said he believes relying solely on tax incentives to encourage businesses to adopt small AI would not fully address barriers to access. Many small businesses struggle with limited revenue, while some operate on very narrow profit margins.
The second proposal covers efforts to improve business operators' skills in using small AI. He said the government should establish small AI clinics nationwide to provide entrepreneurs with consultation and practical guidance.
These clinics can be collaborations with business associations and the Thai SME Federation's network. Business operators could bring real-world business challenges to the clinics, where they could work on practical solutions, receive ongoing mentorship, and be matched with suitable developers.
Third, Mr Noppong said measures should be introduced to mitigate potential risks, covering customer data protection, system security, and awareness of AI-generated fake images and audio. Thai-language AI models also need to be supported to enable developers to build on them and create more applications, he noted.
Small AI could significantly lower the barriers to AI adoption for SMEs, said Mr Noppong.
"The key challenge is not having the most advanced technology, but choosing the right tools for the business and using them as effectively as possible to achieve real results," he noted.
Government support for small AI is worthwhile as SME operators are grappling with high costs and slowing consumer spending, said Mr Noppong.
SMEs face constraints on capital, time and personnel. With tools that can reduce routine workloads, business owners would have more time to focus on customer service, product development and business management, he said.
"Accessible, affordable small AI models that can be adapted to specific tasks and individual business needs offer a valuable opportunity to bring AI tools within reach of businesses operating on limited budgets," said Mr Noppong.
"Small AI could provide substantial support for small businesses, particularly in handling repetitive daily tasks such as answering product inquiries, sorting order messages, and summarising documents. When properly integrated with sales systems and product databases, these tools could also reduce the time spent on data entry and inventory tracking."
To make small AI more accessible to SMEs, tools should be integrated into platforms that business operators already use, such as Line and point-of-sale systems, he said. They should also use clear, easy-to-understand Thai and offer ready-to-use features tailored to different types of businesses, Mr Noppong noted.
For example, restaurants could start by using AI to manage ingredient information, while retail shops could use it to summarise orders, he said.
Business owners should be able to use these tools without having to learn complicated commands. Human intervention must remain possible when AI cannot provide an answer or when something goes wrong, said Mr Noppong.
"SMEs considering AI adoption should start with small tasks and evaluate whether AI can save time, reduce errors, and deliver sufficient value for the money spent. There is no need to transform an entire business all at once," he said. "For critical tasks such as accounting, payments, and providing information that affects customers, human oversight remains necessary. Business operators must also exercise caution when managing access to sensitive information."
