New research from business insurance expert MoneySuperMarket reveals the attitudes towards AI among small business owners
- Less than 20% of UK small businesses are using AI for admin tasks
- Only 10% of small businesses have invested in AI security training
- Business owners in Scotland are most open to using AI, while small businesses in Wales are the least likely to use AI
New research by business insurance expert MoneySuperMarket reveals how less than 20% of the country’s small business owners are regularly using AI.
MoneySuperMarket asked 250 UK business owners what tasks they are currently using AI for, and what they foresee as the biggest threats with AI technology.
How Small Business Owners Are Currently Using AI
Improving admin processes and creating a marketing strategy are two of the biggest areas where small business owners are using AI-powered tools, but uptake is still relatively low, according to MoneySuperMarket’s research. Their survey shows that only 15% of UK business owners are currently using AI technologies to assist them with admin processes, and less than one in five small business owners (19%) have used AI to help with their marketing strategy.
Nearly two million UK small business owners* (36%) say they want to use AI tools to help automate or outsource administrative tasks, reporting and research tasks. However, nearly 2.5 million small business owners* (44%) don’t intend to use AI to help them with these kinds of tasks.
UK Regional Attitudes
Small business owners in Scotland show the biggest appetite for embracing AI, with half (50%) saying they want to use it to automate and outsource admin, reporting and research tasks. The next regions most open to incorporating AI into their business in this way are the South East (48%) and the South West (43%). Business owners in Wales and Yorkshire and The Humber are showing more reluctance to embrace new AI tools, with only 20% of business owners wanting to reduce admin, reporting and research tasks with the help of AI.
Business owners in Wales show the most caution with AI – 60% said that without the right training, they worry that AI could expose their business to cyber threats. Despite their willingness to use AI, business owners in Scotland also express the same level of worry about cybersecurity risks associated with AI use for business.
AI Training Gap Leaves Businesses Feeling Unprepared
More than 2.48 million small business owners* (44%) worry that using AI without proper safeguarding could expose their business to cyber threats, yet only 10% have invested in AI security training for their employees. One in five (20%) small business owners further admit they would feel under-prepared if their business were targeted by a cyber-attack.
Alicia Hempsted, Business Insurance Expert at MoneySuperMarket, says: “AI can be a powerful tool for simplifying admin processes, improving marketing and saving time. The key for business owners that want to utilise it but have yet to start is making sure employees and business owners feel confident and informed about how they use it safely and effectively.”
