AI use hits 64% in IT, but infrastructure and governance constrain broader deployment; new tool helps institutions see where they stand

CARY, N.C., Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As AI use proliferates in the SMB sector, small banks, credit unions and lenders have put banking on the AI leaderboard – ahead of similarly sized firms in insurance, government, health care and life sciences – according to a recent AI readiness study by SAS, with research and analysis by IDC. Even so, the findings suggest institution-wide AI remains elusive.

The study, AI for SMBs: Closing the Readiness‑Reality Gap, is based on a survey of 1,600 small and midsized business (SMB) leaders across 28 countries in five global regions. SMBs were defined as organizations with 100 to 999 employees in the U.S. and 100 to 499 employees in other markets.

Among five SMB industries examined, financial institutions show the strongest strategic alignment, most established governance practices and greatest integration of AI into day-to-day operations. Yet the study’s banking AI readiness findings* also expose significant growing pains:

AI use is concentrated in IT. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of small financial institutions use AI in IT. That’s compared with 47% in finance and risk, 44% in marketing, 42% in customer service and 39% in product development.Infrastructure is often a bottleneck. About 2 in 5 respondents (39%) say their infrastructure is not ready, or is too costly, for broader AI deployment.Governance concerns loom large. Security, privacy and compliance concerns are the top barrier to scaling AI, cited by 40% of small financial institutions.Fragmentation creates another drag. One-third (33%) cite the lack of a unified data, analytics and AI platform among their AI challenges.

The findings arrive as SAS heads to Sibos, Sept. 28 – Oct. 1 in Miami, where its experts will lead discussions on AI readiness, trust, agentic AI, payments and financial crime. Attendees can connect with SAS at Booth I073 throughout the conference.

“For smaller financial institutions, scaling AI does not mean recreating the technology architecture of a global bank,” said Chris Marshall, Vice President of Financial Services at IDC. “The smarter path is to focus internal resources where they create the most value and lean on technology and implementation partners to extend what the institution can accomplish on its own. The right ecosystem and the right collaborators can turn integration complexity into a manageable, even accelerated, path forward.”

Where small-bank AI goes next
Banking respondents’ top-cited near-term AI priorities show greater focus on practical capabilities than novelty:

Automating and streamlining core business processes (30%).Reducing costs through efficiency and automation (30%).Improving data quality and integration (28%).Increasing product and service innovation (26%).

Banking also leads the SMB industries studied in moving beyond isolated AI pilots. The most advanced institutions aren’t just adding more use cases but strengthening the foundations beneath.

“AI pilots often become islands of innovation,” said Alex Kwiatkowski, Director of Global Financial Services at SAS. “One team builds a high-impact fraud use case. Another launches a sharper risk model. A third automates a process. Each initiative delivers tangible benefits, but they don’t add up to an AI strategy.

“Real transformation requires organizations to bridge those islands – connecting siloed functions and decisioning capabilities through shared data, governance and infrastructure – so AI travels farther and faster across the organization.”

AI’s bigger payoff lies beyond IT, where it currently dominates. Expanding adoption across finance and risk, and into more customer-focused areas like marketing, customer service and product development, can compound isolated gains into more consequential, institution-wide returns – strengthening fraud and risk management, customer experience, product innovation and more.

On Oct. 16, SAS will host a webinar to further explore these issues. AI Readiness vs. Reality: Moving Beyond the Hype in Banking and Insurance will focus on practical, responsible strategies for turning AI ambition into business impact.

How AI-ready is your institution?
Small and midsized banks and credit unions can benchmark their own AI maturity with SAS’ AI Readiness Calculator. The 11-question assessment, based on the SAS and IDC AI Readiness Index, evaluates organizations across planning, building, enabling and executing.

Each participant receives a personalized report highlighting strengths, readiness gaps and recommended next steps based on the institution’s maturity stage, priorities and industry.

For more on applying AI across risk, fraud and customer experience, explore SAS’ AI in Banking resources.

*Source: IDC Resource Map Document, sponsored by SAS, SMB AI Readiness, Doc. #EUR154930226 [May 2026].

About SAS
SAS is a global leader in data and AI, helping organizations make confident decisions with AI they can trust. For decades, SAS has set the standard for delivering software that drives meaningful impact, incorporating deep industry expertise, transparency and governance. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2026 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contact:
Danielle Bates
danielle.bates@sas.com
919-531-1959
sas.com/news

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SOURCE SAS

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Aleut Federal (Aleut) has established a purpose-built audiovisual and video teleconferencing (AV/VTC) demonstration environment in Colorado Springs, giving government and industry stakeholders the opportunity to experience next-generation collaboration, room control, and video distribution technologies in a simulated secure environment.

The new space recreates an operationally representative AV/VTC environment where customers can explore how integrated technologies support secure, flexible, and mission-focused collaboration.

At the center of the installation is a Q-SYS VisionSuite-enabled architecture that brings advanced automation and intelligent video direction to the meeting experience. VisionSuite combines 17 points of biometric data with precise sound-positioning data from beamforming microphones to identify and frame individual speakers, automatically recall scenes, and dynamically control cameras as conversations unfold.

The result is a natural, professionally produced experience for remote participants, allowing them to follow interactions as though they were in the room without requiring manual camera operation or scene management.

“A major objective for us was to create something that goes beyond a showroom demonstration,” said Rob Hogue, Program Manager at Aleut. “We wanted customers and industry partners to experience these technologies working together as an integrated system, whether they’re in the room or joining remotely, and see firsthand how they can be applied to real-world requirements.”

Located in Colorado Springs, the facility expands regional access to next-generation AV/VTC capabilities, providing organizations and technical teams with a dedicated space for demonstrations, technical evaluations, and industry collaboration.

Aleut’s AV/VTC Systems Integration Group provides end-to-end capabilities spanning systems engineering, project management, installation, commissioning, logistics, and long-term user support. The Colorado Springs environment brings those disciplines together in a practical setting for testing, refining, and demonstrating these capabilities.

“Technology is evolving quickly, but introducing new capabilities into mission environments requires more than selecting the latest tools,” said Michael Bates, Chief Information Officer at Aleut. “This space gives our teams a platform to evaluate emerging technologies, refine how they work together, and turn that knowledge into integrated solutions for our customers.”

ABOUT ALEUT FEDERAL
Aleut Federal brings technology, innovation, and mission expertise together to solve complex challenges across the federal landscape. Our teams work at the intersection of emerging technology and real-world mission needs, delivering solutions across cybersecurity, data and AI, enterprise IT, digital modernization, and integrated technologies.

A subsidiary of The Aleut Corporation, one of 12 Alaska Native regional corporations established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Aleut Federal and its subsidiaries’ success supports more than 5,000 Alaska Native shareholders and descendants and helps create lasting economic opportunity for Unangax̂ communities.

Through its SBA-certified 8(a) subsidiaries, Aleut Federal serves government customers across a range of mission areas. Learn more at aleutfederal.com/technology

Berlyn Martin
Aleut Federal, LLC
Phone: 571-560-0828

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SOURCE Aleut Federal, LLC

The new Plugin in ChatGPT and Connector for Claude expand Jobber’s role as the operating system for businesses running at scale

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Jobber, the leading provider of software for home and commercial service businesses, today announced the new Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations that let Jobber bring a service pro’s business context into ChatGPT and Claude.

Through the Jobber Plugin in ChatGPT and Jobber Connector for Claude, service pros can ask questions about their business, identify what needs attention, and complete everyday administrative work—all with the context of their own Jobber account data.

When other supported services are connected to ChatGPT or Claude, Jobber can draw information from them directly, so nothing needs to be re-entered manually. For example, a business owner could have a service inquiry in their email inbox, and the plugin in ChatGPT or connector for Claude can use that information to create a Client, Property, and Request in Jobber. The lead now lives in Jobber with automations, follow-ups, and reporting attached, ready to move forward.

“Jobber is in a unique position to help service pros get value from AI, both inside our products, and now, by making their business context available to the AI tools they use alongside Jobber,” said Sam Pillar, CEO and co-founder of Jobber. “By bringing Jobber into ChatGPT and Claude we’re helping make sure the service pros that are most eager to explore this new technology can get answers they can trust with frontier models and Jobber working together.”

The Jobber Plugin in ChatGPT and Jobber Connector for Claude give service pros an automated way to bring trusted business context into both ChatGPT and Claude, including:

Getting answers grounded in their business: Ask ChatGPT or Claude about clients, properties, jobs, quotes, invoices, requests, and visits, and receive answers informed by their actual Jobber account.Actioning administrative work in Jobber: Dictate or paste in updates from calls or jobs directly into ChatGPT or Claude, and the plugin or connector can update all relevant client, property, and request records within Jobber, ready to use with Jobber workflows.Catching revenue before it leaks: Ask ChatGPT or Claude to find money slipping through the cracks, like approved quotes that were never scheduled or completed jobs that were never invoiced, and get a prioritized list of unbilled work, ready to act on in Jobber.

Jobber remains the system of record, while service pros gain the flexibility to use the AI platform that best fits how they work.

“We’re trying to grow quickly, and building the right systems to support that growth is even more important,” said Jeremy Snavely, owner of Spray Foam by IOK. “What’s exciting is that being able to connect Jobber with the AI tools I use gives me a new way to work with the information already in my business. I’ve used it to help plan upcoming work and manage leads, and I’m still finding new ways it could help as we grow.”

The Jobber Plugin in ChatGPT and Jobber Connector for Claude are now available to all Jobber customers. In the Jobber App Marketplace service pros can connect Jobber to the tools they already use, and unlock new ones, through more than 130 integrations and Jobber’s API. It’s part of a growing set of AI tools purpose-built for home and commercial services, and a continued investment in supporting businesses operating at scale.

To learn more or connect a Jobber account, visit:

Plugin in ChatGPT: https://secure.getjobber.com/app_marketplace/chatgptConnector for Claude: https://secure.getjobber.com/app_marketplace/claude 

About Jobber

Jobber is the award-winning platform that puts blue collar first. Built for service pros, Jobber streamlines and automates operations so crews can run more efficiently, increase profitability, and scale with confidence. More than 100,000 businesses and 400,000 service pros in over 50 industries—including landscaping, plumbing, cleaning, and contracting—use Jobber to serve over 34 million properties in more than 70 countries. Jobber continually ranks as one of Canada’s fastest-growing and most innovative companies by The Globe and Mail, Fast Company, and Deloitte. For more information visit: jobber.com.

Sophie Tolsdorf
PAN Communications for Jobber
jobber@pancomm.com
+1 571-970-8176

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SOURCE Jobber