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.

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.