--- title: "Small business leaders are confident with AI, but fewer than half use it — Marsanne Studio AI watch" description: "70% of UK small businesses say they are confident with AI, but only 48% use it regularly, according to a study." url: "https://marsanne.studio/en/ai-watch/small-business-leaders-are-confident-with-ai-but-fewer-than-half-use-43f89c/" lang: "en" --- [Marsanne Studio](https://marsanne.studio/en/) [← Back to home](https://marsanne.studio/en/ai-watch) [← The AI watch](https://marsanne.studio/en/ai-watch) Data study · 16 September 2026 # 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 →](https://bmmagazine.co.uk/in-business/small-business-owners-agentic-ai-time/) ## Figures cited - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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.