The GenAI in SME Business event was held on March 17, 2026, as a hybrid event in Tampere at Nokia Arena Paidia, in Pori, and online. The event brought together experts, companies, and decision-makers to explore practical opportunities and challenges of AI in SME business.
The event was hosted by Jussi Myllärniemi (Tampere University). Keynotes included Pekka Abrahamsson (GPTLab) on the opportunities of AI and Henri Pirkkalainen (Tampere University) on the risks and limitations of AI use.
Business perspectives were shared by Kari Varis (Satakunta Entrepreneurs), who presented insightful survey results on how Finnish SMEs across different sectors are adopting and applying AI. These insights were complemented by practical research findings and real-world use cases from the GAIK project.
Co-development cases demonstrated concrete applications: Nikke Syväkuru (Luvata) presented AI solutions for automating purchase order processing and simplifying incident reporting, while Jani Korpela (QAdental) showcased tools for automated transcription, translation, and semantic search of video content.
A new version of the GAIK toolkit for GenAI implementation in organizations was presented by Jukka Remes and Janne Kauttonen (Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences). In addition, Veera Saastamoinen (Tampere University) presented a toolkit component focused on ensuring successful GenAI adoption in organizations.
The event also featured a “Meet a Researcher” session with dedicated booths, where participants could explore opportunities for support in AI implementation and development projects within their organizations. The toolkit poster is HERE.
The day enabled networking across the regional AI ecosystem, connecting managers, IT specialists, consultants, and decision-makers moving from GenAI ideas to action.
Warm thanks to everyone who took part in the GenAI in SME: benefits without illusions event. It was a pleasure to see such strong interest and to engage in discussions on the opportunities of generative AI in small and medium‑sized enterprises.
The event materials are now available HERE
The event recording can be viewed on Yle Areena: https://areena.yle.fi/1-77527642
The recording will be available for 30 days.
