71% of SMEs Say "AI Adoption Is Necessary," but Only 17% Have Concrete Plans

Main-Biz Association Releases Findings of “2026 Survey on AI Adoption and Utilization by SMEs”

Awareness of the need for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) is high, but the development of concrete implementation plans remains inadequate.

On November 2, the Main-Biz Association announced the results of its “2026 Survey on AI Adoption and Utilization by SMEs.” The survey was conducted among 307 Main-Biz companies nationwide to assess the current status of AI adoption and utilization by SMEs, their key challenges and demand for policy support, and to identify policy implications for expanding AI use.

Some 71.4% of respondent companies said adopting and using AI was necessary to secure competitiveness and achieve sustained growth. However, only 17.6% were developing concrete plans to expand and advance their AI adoption and utilization within the next two years. Among companies at various stages of AI adoption and utilization, 33.6% said they recognized the need but had no specific implementation plans, while 18.9% were exploring which tasks, technologies, or solutions to apply. The survey found that companies faced difficulties turning awareness of the need to adopt AI into actual implementation.

The main challenges in adopting AI varied depending on the stage of adoption. During the review and preparation stage, the leading challenges were “a lack of suitable AI use cases” (49.2%) and “uncertainty about expected benefits and investment returns” (31.6%). During the implementation and pilot stage, they were “difficulty adapting systems to specific work requirements” (44.6%) and “difficulty integrating with existing systems and data” (38.5%). In the actual-use stage, the main difficulties were “the burden of additional costs, such as usage fees and maintenance expenses” (47.1%) and “a lack of capacity to review and use AI-generated outputs” (37.3%).

The policy support companies needed most was “financial support for adopting and implementing AI solutions” (67.4%). This was followed by “AI adoption assessments and consulting” (45.6%), “information on suitable AI solutions and providers, and matching services” (44.3%), and “support for building data and systems” (35.5%). The findings confirmed strong demand for professional assistance with AI adoption and use, in addition to financial support. A total of 56.0% said they needed AI specialists, and the most commonly cited way to secure personnel was “retraining existing employees to take on AI-related roles” (50.4%), confirming the need to strengthen AI capabilities among current employees.

Some 58.0% said they would be willing to participate if AI support programs suited to their companies’ circumstances were offered. Based on the survey results, the Main-Biz Association emphasized that tailored support reflecting each company’s level of preparedness and work characteristics is needed for SME adoption of AI to deliver tangible results. A Main-Biz Association official said, “While awareness of the need for SMEs to adopt AI is high, there are several practical challenges to applying it to actual work and generating results. We need to expand the foundation for AI use and improve SME productivity and competitiveness through policy support tailored to companies’ stage of adoption and on-the-ground needs.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.