Small and midsize businesses are increasingly using artificial intelligence–powered coding assistants to develop digital capabilities more cheaply.
Facing worker and resource shortages, SMBs rely on these assistants to fill gaps and match the output of large developer teams in order to grow.
About 40% of small businesses already use generative AI and are outperforming those that don’t in both hiring and profits, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Small businesses do not have the resources that large companies have,” says Jordan Crenshaw, senior vice president of the Chamber’s Technology Engagement Center. “And small businesses are looking for any competitive edge they can find, in an environment in which they're facing potentially higher prices from inflation or tariffs or labor shortages.”
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Amazon Q Developer and Kiro
SMBs are finding success streamlining software development and business operations with Amazon Q Developer, a generative AI–powered assistant that accelerates the entire development lifecycle, from coding to deployment, says Ben Schreiner, head of AI and modern data strategy business development for the SMB sector at Amazon Web Services.
Q Developer speeds development tasks by up to 80%, boasts the highest reported code acceptance rate and outperforms other leading tools at code security scanning. The data science platform Switchboard, MD uses Q Developer to deploy new product features 25% faster; in part, because it helps developers understand the logic across various programming languages such as Node, Python and SQL.
“SMBs and startups, as well as companies of all sizes, are using Q Developer to accelerate their workflows, improve their code quality and security, and remain competitive in their fast-paced industries,” Schreiner says.
Amazon also offers Kiro, an agentic integrated development environment (IDE) that helps SMB owners turn ideas into reality using simple, everyday language, thanks to its “vibe coding” mode. In vibe mode, business leaders describe their vision or business challenge, and Kiro turns these prompts into detailed specifications and then creates working code.
Kiro also has a spec mode for professional developers to take requirements and build production-grade software.
The IDE’s hooks mimic the oversight of an experienced developer for an extra layer of quality control when updating tests, refreshing documentation and performing scans.
“Kiro is seeing strong interest, having recently been announced in preview and drawing in more than 100,000 developers within its first week,” Schreiner says.
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Paving the Way for AI-Powered Coding Assistants
Some SMBs can use AI-powered coding assistants with the help of informal training videos on YouTube, while local chambers of commerce, community colleges and Small Business Administration programs offer more formal training, Crenshaw says.
SMBs should choose assistants from trusted providers with enterprise-grade security.
“SMBs should provide access to AI upskilling training to ensure their developers are leveraging these tools responsibly and to their full capacity,” Schreiner says.
UP NEXT: SMBs must personalize their AI to remain competitive.
AWS Skill Builder provides SMBs with free and low-cost upskilling courses. For more comprehensive guidance, the AWS Smart Business Hub supplies AI expertise, content and solutions tailored to SMBs.
Vibe coding doesn’t negate the need for oversight, such as software developers setting goals and making strategic decisions.
“When preparing to implement AI coding tools, SMBs must also remember that AI is meant to augment human abilities,” Schreiner says. “There must always be humans in the loop to verify that AI is acting and responding responsibly and accurately.”
