Part 4/5: Leveling the Playing Field for SMEs and Startups [AI Software Factory Is a Critical Technology for the EU Economy]

Reports on AI adoption in the workplace paint an interesting picture: over 90% of employees already have some exposure to genAI tools, and about 14% use them at least several times a week. Employees are 2–3 times more likely to be AI users than their bosses think, yet nearly half cite a lack of training and support as a real barrier. The research also describes a growing "AI anxiety" – a fear of becoming redundant, even among experienced professionals who see models doing work that took them years to learn.

A conceptual illustration of accessible software development for SMEs and startups

This means that people have the appetite and readiness, but there is a lack of meaningful, structural ways to use AI in processes that matter to the business – especially in SMEs, where there are no R&D departments or AI strategy teams. GENESIS-AI lowers the entry threshold exactly where SMEs and startups have the biggest problem – in accessing good development teams and in the cost of their time.

Instead of "you need 5–10 developers to build a meaningful application," we set the bar at "you need people who understand your business and can describe the processes – the agents will take care of the rest." This fits perfectly with the thesis that the future belongs to builders, not just tool buyers:

• SMEs can build their own solutions based on GENESIS-AI, instead of just buying ready-made applications that do not fit local processes.
• A startup can test several product concepts within the same budget – because creating an MVP takes days, not months.
• A local software house can serve more customers without linearly hiring more programmers, because it outsources repetitive, craft-based tasks to the platform.

In this context, GENESIS-AI is not just a tool for reducing development costs. It is a way for SMEs and startups to build their own "super-agency" layer: people with an understanding of the domain become directors of the software factory, rather than just customers of external suppliers. As a result, the benefits of AI are not concentrated solely in a few large corporations – they spread more widely to local companies, software houses, and the public sector, which can finally prototype solutions at a pace similar to that of Big Tech.

This directly supports the STEP and FENG objectives of increasing the competitiveness of SMEs and stimulating innovation across the EU – not only in the largest entities, but also in regions and sectors previously excluded from advanced IT process automation.