Getting the foundations right for responsible AI in small businesses

In this context, the federal government’s National AI Plan is particularly important. Rather than focusing solely on accelerating uptake, it focuses on building the foundations for responsible adoption, combining investment in infrastructure, skills, and governance to support long‑term confidence.

One of the plan’s strongest signals is its recognition that safe AI adoption depends on reliable and secure digital infrastructure. The commitments made in the Plan to sovereign data centres, better connectivity and expanded computing capacity help ensure AI‑enabled tools function securely and consistently for businesses of all sizes.

For SMEs, which often lack dedicated IT or risk teams, reliability and data integrity are critical. Their willingness to embed AI into everyday operations depends on non-negotiable and demonstrable confidence in how tools perform and how information is handled. 

Just as important, the plan recognises that safety is not only technical; it is a governance and capability challenge.

While smaller businesses are often the most exposed to compliance complexity, the NAIC’s resources lean into the fact that here in Australia, SMEs are among the most agile adopters of new technology when expectations are clear. 

With most SMEs still without a formal AI policy, the clear, concise and proportionate guidance provided by NAIC is invaluable for smaller operators with limited time and resources. The updated Guidance for AI Adoption is particularly noteworthy for its accompanying template AI assessment frameworks and policies that SMEs can adapt to their context.

For our part, MYOB has aligned its AI Safety program to the Guidance for AI Adoption, implementing “governance by design” rather than bolt‑on checks at the end of the development cycle. For new AI features, product teams work with AI Safety on impact assessments to surface key safety risks early and ensure mitigations are clearly owned and implemented.

Our approach reflects an emphasis on secure foundations, with our AI safety practices building off our long-standing commitment to strong cyber security and privacy controls. This gives us a strong foundation to answer the questions SMEs are increasingly asking of their technology providers: how are systems built and governed, what risks have been identified and mitigated, and what visibility and recourse they have if something goes wrong.

For providers like MYOB, the guidance from NAIC provides a coherent baseline to design against while still leaving room to innovate. SMEs, in turn, can look to MYOB’s products as being built and operated in-line with recognised safety standards, with transparency about when and how AI is used, humans kept in control of key decisions, and clear ways to raise concerns and provide feedback.

Crucially, the plan acknowledges that people remain central to the safe use of AI. Investment in AI skills programs across TAFE, vocational education and universities, particularly in regional and digitally excluded communities, helps build a more AI‑literate workforce, enabling SMEs to embed AI into existing roles in practical and considered ways.

At the end of the day, Australia’s enviable SME sector succeeds because of the people who power it. As we move deeper into the age of AI, our goal cannot simply be to deploy more tools or pour money blindly into new technologies. Genuine, sustainable AI adoption will come from investing in the owners, staff, and advisers who know their customers and communities best.

With the right support, they are the best placed to determine how AI aligns with their values and business goals. If we keep people at the centre of our efforts, AI can amplify the human strengths that make SMEs so vital to Australia’s economy.