What small business operators really want from AI

Running a cafe can sometimes feel like “managing a burning building”, according to Perth cafe owner Andrei-Emanuel Danilov.

“In busy periods, you have to really move fast,” he says. “During peak times I was working with both hands simultaneously – entering orders with one hand, making coffee with the other and opening and closing the fridge with my foot!”

“There are moments that you’re [really chaotic],” he says. “You have three orders in your mind and just trying to get everything done at once.”

As a very hands-on small business owner often operating the cafe solo, efficiency is essential. So when Danilov considers bringing new technology into a business, his test is simple: it needs to earn its place.

“Any equipment needs to cut time from my working day or [generate] money,” he says.

Solve a real problem

That focus on practical value comes as Australian businesses rapidly increase their investment in AI.

CommBank analysis shows the number of small businesses investing in AI tools more than doubled in FY26 compared with FY25. Spending with software suppliers integrating AI also increased 15 per cent in FY26 compared with the previous financial year.

Behind the surge in investment lies a simple question: is it all hype, or can these tools actually make a meaningful difference to the everyday running of a business?

“For many businesses, the focus is not on technology for its own sake, but on how it can be applied in a practical way to help – saving time, reducing costs and freeing up time to focus on customers,” says Rebecca Warren, executive general manager CommBank Small Business Banking.

For Danilov, it comes down to whether the technology makes his working day easier.

He was an early participant in the pilot of CommBank Companion, currently being tested with eligible business customers. The conversational AI tool allows customers to ask questions in plain language about their available CommBank business financial data, including areas such as cash flow, spending and payments.

As a sole operator, Danilov says his own business finances were relatively simple to keep track of, but he values having information at his fingertips and could see the tool becoming even more useful as an operation grows.

He gives the example of being approached by a new pastry supplier, who wants to know how much the cafe currently spends with another supplier.

“You can’t give an answer on the spot,” Danilov says. Without the tool, he’d have to search for his past supplier transactions, then “pull up the calculator and manually add supplier costs.”

With Companion, he says, “you can get an answer on the spot.”

For owners juggling multiple demands, small admin timesavers can add up.

“It can save me anywhere from a few minutes on a single task to hours per month,” Danilov estimates.

That’s time back. “More sleep, leaving work earlier or coming in later,” he says. “That means I can spend more time with my kids and parents. ”

Keep a human in the loop

Danilov is comfortable experimenting with AI, but he’s equally clear about its uses and limitations.

He takes what AI tells him “with a grain of salt”.

“Information still needs to be double checked,” he says. “I see it as a sidekick.”

It’s a distinction that matters as businesses work out where emerging technology genuinely belongs in their operations. For Danilov, AI doesn’t need to run the cafe, replace his judgement or transform the business to be useful. It needs to save time.

When the working day can involve keeping multiple orders in his head, making coffee with one hand and opening the fridge with his foot, even an extra hour of sunlight and family can make a big difference.

Explore more ways CommBank is helping small businesses navigate emerging technologies with practical insights, tools and support at the CommBank Small Business Hub.