What types of AI do SMBs use most?

October 30, 2025

SMBs across every size and industry are expanding their use of AI for marketing, analytics, and a wide range of operational tasks. But what types of AI do SMBs use currently, and what’s ahead? Our latest survey of 500 SMB principals provides some answers:

‍SMBs are using generative AI the most. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity are the most common type of AI in use today across all SMB sizes.

‍Very small SMBs lean on agentic and machine learning. After generative AI, very small businesses (VSBs, with 1-19 employees) use agentic AI the most. Agentic AI can autonomously complete tasks such as scheduling emails or automating workflows. Machine learning, which helps to spot data patterns to make predictions or decisions, is a close third.

‍Small businesses use NLP and computer vision. Small businesses (SBs, with 20-99 employees) rank natural language processing (NLP) second. NLP is used in chatbots like Siri or Alexa to facilitate the understanding and use of human language. Computer vision, AI that analyzes images and videos, is third.

‍Larger SMBs use machine learning, agentic AI and NLP. Among midsized businesses (MBs, with 100-1,000 employees), machine learning ranks second, and agentic AI and NLP are tied for third.

‍Usage increases with company size. SBs and MBs are significantly more likely to use every type of AI than VSBs, and MBs are more likely to use most types of AI than SBs.

Current SMB AI Use

The future is robotics, computer vision, and machine learning. The top types of AI SMBs plan to use in the next 12 months include:

VSBs

  1. Robotics & autonomous systems
  2. Computer vision
  3. NLP

SBs

  1. Agentic AI
  2. Machine learning
  3. Robotics & autonomous systems

MBs

  1. Robotics & autonomous systems
  2. Computer vision
  3. Agentic AI

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