SAS Study: Most SMBs Are Still In The Early Stages Of AI Adoption

SMBs need practical solutions over hype to bridge the gap between AI readiness and reality.

Nearly 70%?of small and midsized businesses (SMBs)?still?remain?in the experimental or opportunistic stages of artificial intelligence (AI) maturity, despite growing investment and widespread use of AI tools. The?research comes from a new?global report?commissioned?by SAS, a leader in data and AI, and IDC.

AI for SMBs: Closing the Readiness?Reality Gap?is based on a global survey of more than 1,600 SMB leaders across 28 countries.?It not only reveals a critical disconnect between AI?aspirations?and organisational?readiness but?offers SMBs a practical roadmap to move from AI experimentation to?real business?impact.?Today’s technology landscape surrounds companies of all sizes with stories of AI’s potential, but many SMBs?do not yet have the?data foundation, strategy,?skills?and governance in place?to effectively?scale AI within their own business to deliver?tangible?results.

“To actually make something of their AI strategy, SMBs need to move from disconnected pilots to?true alignment of their data,?people and resources,”?said?Daniel-Zoe Jimenez, Vice President, Research?from IDC.?“Experimenting with?the technology?is one thing. Deploying it strategically?and sustainably?is quite another.”

Although survey respondents hail from small and midsized businesses in several sectors, the report offers deeper analysis for five spotlight industries: banking, insurance, government, health care and life sciences. The report highlights obstacles each of these industries face, from fragmented data and inconsistent execution to regulatory challenges and limited organisation-wide adoption, that hinder the scaling of AI across their organisations.

Banking is ahead on AI strategy and governance, but most still struggle to turn pilots into consistent, organisation wide impact.
Insurance is actively using AI for real business problems, yet fragmented data and uneven execution keep many from scaling what works.
Government organisations show strong planning and oversight for AI, but legacy systems and data silos continue to slow execution.
Health care is experimenting with AI to improve efficiency, but data complexity, regulation, and skills gaps keep adoption at an early stage.
Life sciences see high AI potential, but complex data environments and regulatory demands limit widespread adoption beyond specialised teams.

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The readiness-reality gap??

The majority of?SMBs are in what the report classifies as?experimental or opportunistic stages of AI adoption. These businesses are?using AI?in?disconnected?implementations across their organisations, but they’ve yet to bring those pieces together into a unified strategy. This is the readiness-reality gap, according to the report,?where?AI aspirations alone?aren’t?enough to transform?intention?into?outcomes.?Key findings highlight that while SMB leaders are increasingly motivated to use AI, many struggle with:

Fragmented data?and tools
Isolated AI initiatives
Limited skills and organisational readiness
Insufficient?governance and ROI measures

A practical growth framework?

The report introduces the?AI Readiness Index, a?framework for evaluating SMBs’ readiness across?planning, building,?enabling?and executing.?As they progress across these areas, SMBs navigate four stages of maturity: Experimental, Opportunistic,?Structured?and Integrated. The Index then provides a clear, diagnostic lens through which SMBs can evaluate how their organisation is progressing and map their path forward to implementing AI?to?meet their unique business needs.?The?research underscores the growing need for integrated AI platforms and trusted partners, particularly for SMBs with limited IT resources and greater exposure to change.

“SMBs?don’t?need more hype. What they need are results that translate into a meaningful return on their AI investments,” said John Carey, Senior Vice President of Global Channels at SAS.?“This research shows that AI adoption is already widespread, but operationalising AI?at the company level?remains?a challenge.?SAS outlines a path forward with tools and resources that make sense for SMB customers,”

Alongside the report, SAS has launched an?AI Readiness?Calculator?for SMBs, enabling organisations to evaluate their current maturity,?identify?gaps?and receive personalised recommendations for next steps based on?their?size and readiness level.

Dive deeper into the results: https://www.sas.com/en/offers/ai-readiness-report-for-small-and-midsize-businesses.html