7th Digital for SME (D4SME) Roundtable

Moderated by: Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities

Priorities for SME digitalisation and AI uptake: Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy and Chair of the OECD Digital for SMEs Global Initiative

09:50–11:15 | New frontiers: the role of Agentic AI for SMEs

Agentic AI marks a leap beyond earlier AI tools, enabling systems that can plan, reason, and act autonomously. For SMEs, it offers powerful opportunities to automate tasks, personalise services, and scale innovation – but also new challenges around complexity, accountability, and trust. This session explores practical use cases, the capabilities needed by SMEs, and policy implications.

The discussion will build upon the D4SME webinar on “From Prediction to Autonomy: what agentic AI means for SMEs” held in September 2025, featuring interventions from selected entrepreneurs and OECD countries.

Questions for discussion:

• What are the most relevant agentic AI use cases for SMEs? Are there already examples of SMEs developing their own tailored AI agents?
• What capabilities (data, skills, oversight) do SMEs need to deploy agentic systems responsibly to improve productivity and quality?
• How can policy support experimentation and implementation while ensuring accountability and trust?

Rapporteur: Jerry Sheehan, Director, OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation

11:15–11:45 | Family photo and coffee break

11:45–13:00 | Information & Digital Security Barriers to AI Adoption

Rapidly advancing AI is reshaping the cyber threat landscape for SMEs – making attacks cheaper to launch, harder to detect and potentially far more damaging. The 2026 D4SME Survey reveals worrying gaps in SME digital security readiness, with limited clarity on data governance, privacy and IP protection, and cyber risks leaving firms increasingly exposed and hesitant. This session explores how better guidance, clearer standards, risk‑awareness tools, and trusted intermediaries can close these gaps and enable more secure, confident AI uptake.

The discussion will build upon the D4SME webinar on “SME digital security in the age of AI” in December 2025 and feature fresh insights from selected entrepreneurs and OECD countries.

Questions for discussion:

• What are the latest challenges for SMEs in managing security risks and protecting data associated with AI tools? How have these challenges evolved over the last year?
• What types of information or guidance do SMEs need urgently to adopt more advanced AI tools with confidence?
• Which policies are needed to address cybersecurity-related barriers and data protection concerns holding back AI investment?

14:15–15:00 | Fireside Chat: From Factory Floor to Front Desk

SMEs across manufacturing, retail, and tourism are under growing pressure from rising costs, supply-chain disruptions, labour shortages, and rapidly evolving customer expectations. At the same time, digital and AI technologies are moving from theory to practice, reshaping operations on production lines, in shops and warehouses, and at hotel receptions and booking systems.

Three entrepreneurs from these sectors will share their first-hand experiences on the concrete benefits and challenges of adopting AI and digital tools. 

15:00–17:00 | Policy Lab: Turning the D4SME Pledge into a concrete action (Coffee break: 15:45–16:15)

Opening remarks: Patrik Kovacs, Chair of the SME and Entrepreneurship Committee, Business at OECD

This interactive Policy Lab will move from theory to co‑creation: participants will dive into three key principles from the D4SME Stakeholder Pledge. With inspiration from real-world policy examples showing how these principles work in practice, participants will co-develop concrete recommendations for the upcoming “SME digitalisation and AI policy toolkit” - a set of practical actions and measures that policymakers and companies can adopt:

1.     Digital skills

“Enhance digital literacy among SMEs by providing affordable and tailored skilling, upskilling, and reskilling opportunities, and promoting workplace training, thereby strengthening their ability to effectively and securely navigate and leverage digital technologies”.

2.     Fintech & Digital Finance

“Support SMEs’ access to innovative digital solutions in payment services and finance, which can promote financial inclusion and faster, safer, and more transparent access to loans for SMEs, as well as through machine-learning models to enhance credit risk assessments”

3.     Strengthening local ecosystems that support SME digitalisation

“Strengthen local ecosystems that support SME digitalisation, including through innovation hubs, digital forums, and collaborative projects that facilitate knowledge and technology diffusion among SMEs”.

Closing remarks: 

Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy and Chair of the OECD Digital for SMEs Global Initiative

Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities