AI has become a working tool for most small and medium-sized businesses

More than 60% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) use artificial intelligence (AI)-based services to solve work tasks. This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by the Online Market Intelligence agency (OMI), which Izvestia reviewed on Monday, March 2.

According to the survey, the technology has moved from the experimental category to the category of full-fledged tools: 76% of users turn to AI services regularly — several times a week and more often. At the same time, 77% of respondents confirmed that neural networks bring real benefits, and 76% are confident that such services contribute to the development of companies.

Business considers AI primarily as a means of increasing operational efficiency. Among the main advantages, the respondents identified increased work speed (70%), resource savings (60%) and routine automation (57%). The greatest penetration of technology has been recorded in the field of marketing and content creation. Thus, 77% of companies agree that AI services have become part of the necessary tools in marketing and advertising. 62% of companies use AI to write texts, and 55% use it to generate images.

Despite the active implementation, entrepreneurs remain cautious. The main problems when working with neural networks are difficulties with query perception (42%), technical errors (41%) and poor response quality (39%). About a third of the companies (35%) that have not yet tested the technology plan to start working with it within the next year. For those who are not ready for implementation yet, the main barrier remains a lack of understanding of how to apply AI to their tasks (24%).

The study was conducted using the OMI online dashboard survey method from February 9 to February 11, 2026. It was attended by 1,046 representatives of small and medium-sized businesses.

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