In September 2026, CrowdWorks announced the results of its "SME AI Utilization Level Survey," targeting companies with 5 to 299 employees.
AI Adoption in SMEs: Over 8 of Users Limited to Chat, with Talent and Time Cited as Barriers to Automation
This article is a translation. Read the Japanese original
The survey revealed that 59.6% of companies are utilizing AI. However, 80.9% of these companies are at a stage where usage is limited to personal use or chat functions even after company-wide implementation. Companies that have integrated AI with business systems to automate parts of their operations represent only 19.1%.
Among companies where AI-driven business automation is progressing, there was a trend toward a higher rate of utilizing external AI talent, at approximately 3.7 times higher (26.1% vs 7.0%) compared to companies limited to chat usage.
On the other hand, shortages of personnel and time have become significant challenges in promoting AI adoption. Even among companies with individuals leading the AI implementation, 34.9% suffer from labor shortages, and the percentage of companies without any leaders for such initiatives reached 50.5%. Reasons cited for the difficulty in handling this in-house include a lack of time due to prioritizing daily operations (45.5%) and the absence of personnel with necessary knowledge and skills (41.7%).