AI adoption in SMEs has reached 61%, according to a new OECD paper published in 2026, yet most small and medium-sized enterprises remain at an early stage and face significant barriers to deeper integration. The report, titled “Empowering SMEs in the Age of AI: The 2026 OECD D4SME Survey,” draws on survey data from firms across multiple countries to assess how businesses are using digital and artificial intelligence tools.
Despite the high headline adoption figure, three quarters of AI-using firms, or 76%, qualify as “AI novices.” These businesses rely on simple, off-the-shelf tools for isolated tasks such as marketing, content creation, and administrative work, rather than integrating AI across their core operations.
Security Readiness Falls Behind Digital Growth
The survey exposes a serious gap in cybersecurity preparedness among SMEs. Nearly half of all surveyed firms, 46%, report having no digital security measures or only minimal ones in place. Meanwhile, 22% of SMEs said they had already experienced a digital security breach, a figure that points to growing exposure as reliance on digital tools increases.
The OECD said these findings suggest that security readiness has not kept pace with the speed of digital tool adoption among smaller businesses. Breaches can damage customer trust and slow further adoption of digital technologies.
Cost and Time Remain the Top Barriers
Cost pressures continue to weigh heavily on SME digitalisation efforts. Maintenance costs were cited by 39% of firms as a key obstacle, while hardware costs were flagged by 37%. Lack of time for staff training was also a major concern, mentioned by 38% of respondents. Together, these constraints help explain why many firms struggle to move beyond basic tool use toward more strategic digital integration.
The findings align with broader patterns seen in economy and business research, where resource limitations consistently prevent smaller firms from scaling their technology investments at the same pace as larger enterprises.
AI Adoption in SMEs Outpaces Awareness of Government Support
One of the more striking findings in the report concerns public support programmes. Only 16.5% of SMEs said they had benefited from government digitalisation support. More notably, 65% of non-beneficiaries said they were unaware that such programmes existed at all. Administrative complexity and a poor fit between programme design and actual firm needs further reduced participation rates.
The OECD paper argues that improving the visibility, accessibility, and relevance of these programmes could significantly increase their impact. Better outreach and simpler application processes are among the steps the report points to as potential improvements.
Context and Outlook
SMEs represent the backbone of most national economies, and their ability to use AI effectively has broad implications for productivity and competitiveness. The OECD report does not prescribe specific policy solutions but frames the data as a call for governments and support organisations to reassess how they design and communicate digitalisation programmes. The full report is available through the OECD publications portal, with contact for further information directed to Shayne MacLachlan at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris.
