Data study ·
Small business leaders are confident with AI, but fewer than half use it
- Publication
- Business Matters (United Kingdom)
- Author
- Amy Ingham
- Published on
- 16 September 2026 · read in the page structured data · updated on 16 September 2026
Summary
A study by Small Business Britain and Alibaba.com, conducted among 1,000 UK small business leaders, shows that 70% say they are confident using generative AI but only 48% use it regularly, a difference the authors call a "productivity gap". Usage is concentrated in marketing and content creation (74%), well ahead of data analysis (around a third) and supply chain management (5%). Agentic AI remains little known: 44% have heard of it and only 5% use it regularly, although 68% want to learn more. Respondents express reservations about data privacy (69%) and reliability (61%). The study is set against data from Simply Business and the Office for National Statistics showing a rise in AI adoption by UK businesses.
Summary based on the full text of the article.
Read the article on Business Matters →Figures cited
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70 %
Share of UK small business leaders confident in using generative AI
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« The study of 1,000 small business owners found that 70 per cent are somewhat or very confident using generative AI, while 48 per cent use it regularly. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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48 %
Share of leaders using AI regularly
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« The study of 1,000 small business owners found that 70 per cent are somewhat or very confident using generative AI, while 48 per cent use it regularly. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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74 %
Share of AI users applying it to content creation and marketing
UK small businesses using AI
« Among small businesses that use AI, 74 per cent apply it to content creation and marketing, making it by far the most common use recorded in the survey. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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5 %
Share of AI users using AI for supply chain management
UK small businesses using AI
« About a third use it for data analysis or reporting, and 5 per cent for supply chain management. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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80 %
Share of leaders citing time savings as a key benefit of AI
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« Four in five (80 per cent) identified it as a key advantage of AI, compared with 43 per cent who pointed to creativity and innovation. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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43 %
Share of leaders citing creativity and innovation as a key benefit of AI
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« Four in five (80 per cent) identified it as a key advantage of AI, compared with 43 per cent who pointed to creativity and innovation. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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44 %
Share of respondents who have heard of agentic AI
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« Only 44 per cent of respondents had heard of agentic AI, and 5 per cent are regular users. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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5 %
Share of respondents who are regular users of agentic AI
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« Only 44 per cent of respondents had heard of agentic AI, and 5 per cent are regular users. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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68 %
Share of leaders wanting to learn more about agentic AI
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« However, 68 per cent said they want to learn more about it. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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60 %
Share of leaders citing a better work-life balance as a benefit of agentic AI
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« Asked about its potential advantages, 60 per cent of owners cited improved work-life balance and 50 per cent said it could give them more time for marketing and finding new customers. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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50 %
Share of leaders for whom comparing supplier prices takes significant time
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« Half (50 per cent) said comparing price options takes up a significant amount of their time when working with suppliers, and 45 per cent said the same of finding suppliers. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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15 %
Share of leaders turning to AI when facing a difficult decision
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« A partner was the most common answer, at 23 per cent, while 15 per cent said they already turn to AI. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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69 %
Share of respondents concerned about AI-related data privacy and security
1,000 small business leaders in the United Kingdom
« Data privacy and security were a concern for 69 per cent, reliability and accuracy for 61 per cent, and 46 per cent expressed some discomfort about AI making decisions on their behalf. »
Source: Small Business Britain et Alibaba.com
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47 %
AI usage rate among UK small businesses, up year on year
UK small businesses
« The findings follow research from Simply Business, which found that AI use by UK small businesses had more than doubled to 47 per cent in a year. »
Source: Simply Business
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35 %
Reported AI usage rate among UK businesses with 10 or more employees, in June 2026
UK businesses with 10 or more employees, June 2026
« The Office for National Statistics reported in July that self-reported AI use among businesses with 10 or more employees had risen from about 12 per cent in late 2023 to about 35 per cent by June 2026. »
Source: Office for National Statistics
Classification
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Company size
- Micro-businesses, SMEs
- Industries
- All industries, or industry not specified
- Companies
- Simply Business (cited), Accio (supplier), Small Business Britain (study author), Alibaba.com (study author), Office for National Statistics (cited)
- Keywords
- AI adoption, small businesses, agentic AI, time savings, suppliers, marketing
Entry written by Marsanne Studio from the cited article, with the help of an AI model (claude-sonnet-5). The rights to the article and its illustrations belong to Business Matters and its author. Entry translated from French by Claude Sonnet 5.5.