A survey of generative AI use among small and medium-sized enterprises found that approximately 70% currently use it in their operations, while only around 20% use it on a daily basis. The main applications are preparing emails and reports, while the biggest barrier to adoption is a lack of clarity about how it can be used.
The survey covered 2,503 member companies of the F&M Club and was conducted from 1 July 2026 to 31 July 2026. Approximately 70% of companies currently use generative AI in their operations, but only around 20% use it almost every day, with occasional use several times a month the most common pattern. Free-form responses indicated that while some employees use generative AI continuously, companies have not yet learned to use it effectively across the organization.
Usage is centered on free, general-purpose text-generation AI. Preparing emails and reports accounted for more than 60% of uses, while using it as a reference for management decisions and for brainstorming accounted for just under 50%, making these the leading applications. Among companies using generative AI almost every day, approximately 70% use paid versions and report a broad range of benefits, while information-leakage risks and the need to verify outputs were also cited at high rates.
The most common barrier to adoption was that companies could not visualize which operations to use it for, while relatively few cited cost or risk. Only approximately 10% of companies had established internal rules, and even among those using generative AI almost every day, around one-quarter had not established rules. By industry, adoption is progressing particularly strongly in healthcare and welfare, while the low level of rule-setting in those sectors was also noted.