Read how Odoo AI App helps Australian SMEs close adoption gaps with practical ERP workflows, aligning with policy and productivity needs.
SYDNEY, Oct. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- At Odoo Experience 2025, the company unveiled its new AI App, embedding artificial intelligence directly into ERP workflows. This positions Odoo within the global wave of ERP vendors operationalising AI, but its relevance is sharper in Australia, where SME adoption of AI still lags behind larger enterprises (NAIC & Fifth Quadrant, 2025).
Australia's persistent productivity challenge underscores why such developments matter. Small and medium businesses form the backbone of the economy but face structural hurdles in adopting advanced technologies at scale. The arrival of a cost-effective, integrated AI suite inside Odoo comes at a moment when Australian SMEs are seeking practical ways to match ambition with execution.
This article explains why Odoo's AI App matters now: the adoption gap among Australian SMEs, the practical features it brings to everyday workflows, and why timing aligns with policy and market pressures for a productivity leap.
The Australian SME AI Landscape: Adoption, Barriers, and Urgency
Early adoption and barriers
Artificial intelligence adoption among Australian SMEs remains limited compared with larger enterprises. Large firms have broadly embraced AI, with many already using or planning investments, while adoption among SMEs is only around one-third (DISR 2024b; NAIC and Fifth Quadrant 2025). The same report also notes that only 37% of SMEs are actively adopting AI, though 60% plan to adopt AI by 2026. This demonstrates intent but confirms that many firms remain at an early stage.
For non-adopters, familiar obstacles persist. Skills shortages, funding limits, complex systems, and disconnected tools reinforce the divide, raising the risk that SMEs fall further behind as larger firms invest in advanced, integrated AI solutions.
Rising AI optimism
A Google and IPSOS survey found 49% of Australians used generative AI in 2024, up from 38% in 2023. 52% believed AI would benefit people like them, compared with 46% the year before. The SAAM report adds that nearly a third of SME leaders said AI significantly exceeded their expectations (UTS Human Technology Institute, 2025).
Policy drivers
The Australian Government has invested in the National Artificial Intelligence Centre and AI Adopt programs to lift SME readiness (Australian Institute for Machine Learning, 2023). Reports stress that AI could significantly improve productivity in the services sector, which accounts for 90% of the workforce, including SMEs, but has historically shown poor productivity growth (Productivity Commission, 2024).
This urgency makes the arrival of an ERP-embedded AI suite especially relevant, with Odoo positioning itself as a platform SMEs can adopt without rebuilding systems from scratch.
What the Odoo AI App Brings to SMEs
Odoo has long been recognised as a cost-effective ERP, helping SMEs manage finance, sales, inventory, and operations in one integrated system. At Odoo Experience 2025, the company expanded this foundation with the launch of the Odoo AI App, embedding artificial intelligence directly into everyday ERP workflows from version 19.
For Australian SMEs, where adoption of AI has often been cautious and many businesses remain stuck between optimism and barriers, this matters. Unlike standalone AI tools, the Odoo AI App builds on the system SMEs already use, reducing administrative burden, strengthening customer engagement, and providing flexible options for adoption. Each capability listed below is part of the official release notes and reflects how Odoo has designed AI to answer the specific needs of SMEs.
AI Assistance in Daily Workflows
The Odoo AI App reduces the time SMEs spend on routine and communication tasks.
- AI button in top bar: Use a top-bar button to request AI support.
- AI fields: Automatically fill in fields using AI.
- Ask AI search: Enter a natural language query, converted into an Odoo domain.
- Draft with Odoo AI: Generate draft emails, refine text, or summarise chatter.
- Email template prompts: Add AI prompts into templates for single or bulk emails.
For SMEs in Australia, where administrative burden and email overload remain major pain points, these tools bring immediate value. Professional services firms can accelerate client correspondence, while small retailers can simplify order confirmations and responses.
AI Agents and Integrations
Another central element is the expansion of AI agents, connecting decision-making and customer engagement.
- AI Agents: Interact with AI agents that learn from your documents and execute tasks.
- AI agent database queries: Query internal records directly with an AI agent.
- Leads from AI agent: Let the LiveChat AI agent create new leads.
- Livechat integration: Link an AI agent to your live chat.
- Server actions: Apply AI to update fields in server-side actions.
For Australian SMEs that depend on e-commerce and online sales, these capabilities are significant. A small retailer running an Odoo-powered webstore could use the Livechat AI agent to capture leads from customer chats, allowing sales teams to focus on service and upselling.
AI for Content and Knowledge
The App also provides features to improve knowledge management, content creation, and documentation.
- Sources: Retrieve answers from documents, Knowledge items, links, or PDFs.
- Files for fields and actions: Use file content when updating fields or triggering actions.
- Voice transcript: Convert speech to text in real time and summarise.
- Web page generation: Create new webpages from a prompt.
For professional services firms in Australia, automatic meeting transcripts can directly support compliance reporting. For manufacturers, using files in field updates or creating product documentation from prompts helps reduce errors and save staff hours.
Flexibility and Advanced Options
Odoo AI also gives SMEs control and choice in how they adopt and extend AI in their workflows.
- Gemini account: Connect your own Gemini account as the AI provider.
- ChatGPT 5.0: Access the latest ChatGPT 5.0.
- Unified AI workflows: Set default prompts and assign agents to specific calls.
- Web search for fields and actions: Use AI to search the web while updating fields or running actions.
These options matter because many SMEs face fragmented systems and limited IT resources. Having the choice to connect their own provider or unify prompts across workflows offers a level of flexibility usually reserved for larger enterprises.
Making AI Accessible
The overall message from the release is clear: Odoo AI is not an enterprise-exclusive feature set. Instead, it embeds practical AI into the tools SMEs already use, whether drafting emails, running live chats, updating server actions, or generating webpages. For Australian SMEs, this is an opportunity to bring advanced AI into daily workflows without the prohibitive costs often associated with separate AI platforms.
Why This Matters Now
For Australian SMEs, AI is reaching a turning point as it becomes both a national priority and a practical tool. The release of the Odoo AI App coincides with government and industry initiatives, making the timing critical for businesses that have struggled to keep pace.
The Odoo AI App arrives as a timely, practical response: embedded into workflows SMEs already use, offering adoption within a trusted and cost-effective ERP environment. As an official Odoo Partner, Havi Technology supports SMEs in implementing Odoo AI and delivering advanced, localised AI solutions built for Australia's requirements.
Media Contact
Havi Technology, Havi Technology, 61 1300696366, [email protected], https://havi.com.au/
SOURCE Odoo
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