New data claims small businesses haven't expanded their use of AI in the past few years

Date:
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:45:01 +0000

Description:
SMBs are using AI, but many are still using it for very basic automation indicating genuine use cases are still lacking.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The number of companies using
AI is up, but the number of tools per company hasn't grown much ONS data also confirms that AI doesn't seem to be having a major impact on headcount SMBs could be lacking a clear business use case for AI New ONS data has claimed that while AI adoption has expanded rapidly across UK businesses, the actual depth of adoption is still limited, with most firms using just a small number of tools to improve existing processes rather than totally overhauling their businesses.

Among the businesses surveyed that had adopted AI, the number of tools they used only increased marginally from 1.4 to 1.6 in the three years leading up to 2026. The ONS also revealed that, while 60% of larger businesses have used AI to improve business operations, no negative impacts on headcount have been observed. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: AI adoption might be growing, but that's not the full story The data mostly implies
experimentation rather than widespread transformation, with just 17% of SMBs (0-9 employees) reporting extensive AI use, however the report warns that
many small businesses are merely trying general-purpose AI tools rather than making substantial investments into tech that can truly unlock new levels of productivity.

What's less clear is why SMBs are falling behind their enterprise counterparts, because while 7-14% of all business sizes cited cost as a barrier, 41% of SMBs with 10+ employees said they didn't have any major barrier concerns. You may like The businesses paying for AI aren't going back Study finds European firms are getting more out of AI than other markets Agentic business: the new growth engine for SMEs

Rather than being held back by costs, infrastructure or capability, the ONS data actually implies that SMBs might actually be lacking compelling business cases to use AI altogether.

All in all, the most recent data confirms that while SMBs haven't exactly ignored AI, they're still stuck in the experimentation stage. The readiness
to use automation tech is very much there, but ability to identify a genuine use case is potentially holding back deeper deployment. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/new-data-claims-small-businesses-havent-expanded -their-use-of-ai-in-the-past-few-years


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