At its I/O developer conference in May, Google said AI Mode, its conversational version of Search, has passed one billion monthly users, with the number of queries more than doubling every quarter since launch. It’s now powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash by default.

Google also unveiled what it called the biggest redesign of the search box in more than 25 years. The new box accepts text, images, files, video and even open browser tabs, and supports conversational follow-up questions.

More changes on the way

• Search agents: AI that keeps watching the web for updates on things you care about, such as listings or prices.
• Personal Intelligence: expanding to nearly 200 countries, letting people connect Gmail and Google Photos, with Calendar to follow, for more personalised answers.
• New ad formats: Google said it’s testing AI-powered ads in Search and AI Mode, including conversational and shopping formats.

What it means for your business

More and more searches now end in an AI-written answer that names a handful of businesses. Being one of them depends on Google being able to understand and trust what you do. In practice:

• clear service pages that answer real customer questions;
• a complete, accurate Google Business Profile;
• consistent business details across the web;
• reviews that mention what you did and where;
• structured data that spells out your business, services and FAQs.

None of this is new to good SEO. AI Mode simply makes the businesses that do it well more visible, and those that don’t much harder to find.

Simply Business’s 2026 SME Insights Report, published in September, found that 47% of UK small businesses now use AI tools, up from 22% a year earlier. The survey of 1,842 small business owners also found a clear confidence gap: only 19% described themselves as very confident using AI day to day.

A separate survey from the bank bunq, also published in September, compared founders across Europe. It found 51% of British business owners had used AI for their business in the past year, behind Germany (79%), France (76%) and Spain (73%). The most common barrier for UK founders was a lack of knowledge or trust, cited by 38%, rather than cost.

Earlier in the year, the British Chambers of Commerce reported that 54% of SMEs were actively adopting AI. The surveys define “using AI” differently, so the exact numbers vary, but they all point the same way.

Growth and AI appear to go together

Research from Novuna Business Finance found that 59% of small businesses reporting significant growth were using AI, compared with 23% of those that were shrinking. That doesn’t prove AI caused the growth, but businesses that are moving forward are clearly more likely to be experimenting.

What it means for your business

The question is no longer whether AI is relevant to small businesses. It’s how to use it without wasting time and money. The most effective starting point is usually one specific, repetitive problem:

• calls you miss while you’re on a job;
• an inbox that eats your evenings;
• quotes and follow-ups that slip through the cracks.

Fix one of those properly, measure the time and enquiries it gives back, then move on to the next. That’s how AI goes from an experiment to something that genuinely runs part of your business.

Meta has made its customer support AI, now called Meta Business Agent, available to businesses worldwide inside WhatsApp, after nearly two years of testing in markets including India and Mexico. It was announced at Meta’s Conversations 2026 event in London and reported by TechCrunch in June.

What it can do

• answer customer questions about your business;
• recommend products from your catalogue;
• book appointments and qualify sales leads;
• hand a conversation over to a real person when needed.

It also works in Instagram DMs and Messenger. Businesses can train it on their information, and optionally on past chats, so it responds in their own tone. Meta is also testing daily briefings that summarise overnight conversations.

Meta plans to charge for the agent through some tiers of its WhatsApp Business Premium subscription, with larger businesses paying based on usage.

Where it fits, and where it doesn’t

For a small business answering the same questions on WhatsApp every day, this is a genuinely useful, low-cost first step into AI customer service. It’s worth switching on and testing.

It has limits, though. It lives inside Meta’s apps, so it won’t answer your phone, connect to your own CRM or quoting system, or follow a custom process for qualifying leads. Businesses that need AI to work across phone calls, email and their own systems will still need something built around how they actually operate.

What it means for your business

Customers increasingly expect an instant reply, whatever time they get in touch. Whether through Meta’s tools or a bespoke system, being responsive around the clock is quickly becoming a baseline rather than a bonus.