A study of nearly 4,000 small business owners across nine APAC markets indicates that 84% are currently using artificial intelligence. The findings, released by Meta Newsroom, show that 76% of these owners report a positive impact on their business's productivity.
Key points
- 84% of small business owners surveyed use AI.
- 76% report AI increases productivity.
- 71% see positive impacts on revenue or sales.
- AI helps businesses compete with larger companies.
- Most owners feel small businesses need more AI guidance.
Furthermore, 71% of surveyed small business owners noted a positive impact on revenue or sales over the past 12 months. AI is also reported to help address challenges such as limited resources and time, with 80% agreeing it enables small businesses to compete more effectively with larger companies.
The study found that 83% of owners believe AI allows small businesses to achieve tasks that previously required significantly more financial or resource investment. Time saved through AI adoption is being reinvested into business improvement, with 58% using it to enhance existing work quality, 50% for growth and planning, and 46% to increase team output.
By the numbers
- Small businesses currently using AI
- 84%
- Owners reporting positive productivity impact
- 76%
- Owners reporting positive revenue/sales impact
- 71%
Practical applications of AI for these businesses include content creation or editing (51%), local advertising and marketing (43%), translation services (38%), and customer support and communications (37%). The research highlights that over four in five owners (86%) believe small businesses require more guidance on leveraging AI.
The YouGov study surveyed small business owners in Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong. The findings suggest a broad adoption of AI tools among small businesses in these regions.
Sources and references
Original report
More Than Three Quarters of Small Business Owners Say AI Makes Them More Productive, But Most Need More Guidance
Meta Newsroom
Read on Meta Newsroom (opens in a new tab)Ref 00KC3J8Y
Cite this
APA
Interestana AI Editorial. (2026, October 15). Small Businesses Report AI Boosts Productivity and Revenue. Interestana. https://interestana.com/articles/more-than-three-quarters-of-small-business-owners-say-ai-makes-them-more-productive-but-most-need-more-guidance-00kc3j8y
MLA
“Small Businesses Report AI Boosts Productivity and Revenue.” Interestana, 15 Oct. 2026, interestana.com/articles/more-than-three-quarters-of-small-business-owners-say-ai-makes-them-more-productive-but-most-need-more-guidance-00kc3j8y.
Chicago
Interestana AI Editorial. “Small Businesses Report AI Boosts Productivity and Revenue.” Interestana, October 15, 2026. https://interestana.com/articles/more-than-three-quarters-of-small-business-owners-say-ai-makes-them-more-productive-but-most-need-more-guidance-00kc3j8y.
BibTeX
@misc{interestana_00kc3j8y,
author = {{Interestana AI Editorial}},
title = {{Small Businesses Report AI Boosts Productivity and Revenue}},
howpublished = {Interestana},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
url = {https://interestana.com/articles/more-than-three-quarters-of-small-business-owners-say-ai-makes-them-more-productive-but-most-need-more-guidance-00kc3j8y},
note = {Summary of reporting by Meta Newsroom, https://about.fb.com/news/2026/10/more-than-three-quarters-of-small-business-owners-say-ai-makes-them-more-productive-but-most-need-more-guidance/}
}Credit the source
Original reporting: Meta Newsroom, “More Than Three Quarters of Small Business Owners Say AI Makes Them More Productive, But Most Need More Guidance”, https://about.fb.com/news/2026/10/more-than-three-quarters-of-small-business-owners-say-ai-makes-them-more-productive-but-most-need-more-guidance/(opens in a new tab)
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