Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are embracing AI rapidly, but their adoption maturity still lags behind. According to a global TeamViewer survey of 1,400 business leaders (427 of them from SMBs), 95% of SMB decision makers say they need more training to use AI effectively, even though 72% describe themselves as AI experts.
SMBs are leading in usage, but not in depth
Regardless of perceived maturity levels, AI is firmly on the SMB agenda, and not just for use among IT personnel. In fact, a notable 86% of SMB leaders say they are comfortable with employees outside of IT using AI tools.
Yet, while use is common, it’s not always frequent. Only every third SMB respondent says they use AI every day, and just 16% report using it on at least a weekly basis. Despite this, SMBs still report higher AI maturity than enterprises. While just 22% of larger organisations describe their AI usage as “very mature”, 35% of SMB decision makers say the same.
The cost of inaction – automation gaps drive concern
This leads to concerns about the risks of not adopting AI. For 28% of SMB decision makers, the biggest consequence of inaction is increased operational cost due to missed opportunities for automation. This diverges from the broader business community, where falling behind competitors was the top fear, cited by 26%.
Furthermore, in Southeast Asia, the diverse digital maturity across countries and sectors presents a unique challenge, requiring tailored AI strategies for SMBs.
Skills, security, and the systems holding AI back
SMB leaders remain optimistic: 72% expect AI to drive the greatest productivity surge of the century, and 76% see it as essential to improving overall business performance. Many also believe in its broader societal value—70% say AI can help expand job opportunities for parents and caregivers.
Still, a capability gap remains. Although 72% of SMB respondents consider themselves AI experts, 95% say they need more training. Two persistent barriers continue to slow AI maturity: education and security. More than a third of leaders (38%) cite insufficient AI training as the main obstacle to progress. Meanwhile, 74% are concerned about data management risks, and 65% say they only use AI tools within tightly controlled security frameworks. Tellingly, 77% admit they wouldn’t bet a week’s salary on their organisation’s ability to effectively manage risks such as unauthorised AI tool usage.
Infrastructure isn’t ready – but investment is coming
Infrastructure is another key hurdle. Nearly half of SMB decision makers – 47% – say they do not yet have the systems in place to scale AI as quickly as they would like. However, momentum is building. 75% of SMB leaders say their organisations plan to increase AI investment in the next 12 months, and three in four (75%) expect that investment to rise within the next six to twelve months, signalling a clear intent to shift from experimentation toward more advanced implementation.
This is particularly pertinent in a region where economic growth is heavily driven by the agility and innovation of its SMB sector, making timely and effective AI adoption crucial for national digital economies.
TeamViewer Intelligence: increased productivity for IT teams
For Southeast Asian SMBs, this means advanced AI tools like TeamViewer CoPilot can play a pivotal role in democratising access to sophisticated IT support, allowing them to optimise operations, enhance customer experience, and rapidly upskill their workforce even with limited internal resources.
As SMBs scale their use of AI, the challenge isn’t just access; it’s making the technology work across day-to-day operations. TeamViewer Intelligence helps IT teams bridge that gap, offering session insights and analytics, and now, a powerful new assistant: TeamViewer CoPilot.
“SMBs are clearly motivated to embrace AI, but many are still searching for the right way to turn early adoption into lasting impact,” said Artus Rupalla, Director of Product Management at TeamViewer.
-HR HUB
