New research shows 68% of small businesses want to learn what agentic AI could do next
UK small businesses are developing an “AI productivity gap”, with confidence in using artificial intelligence outpacing the way firms are deploying it in practice, according to new research from the Small Business Institute and Accio, Alibaba.com’s agentic AI platform.
In a survey of 1,000 small business owners, 70% said they were somewhat or very confident using generative AI. Yet fewer than half (48%) use the technology regularly, highlighting a disconnect between enthusiasm and measurable productivity gains.
Among those already using AI, adoption remains concentrated in low‑stakes tasks. Nearly three quarters (74%) rely on AI for content creation and marketing, while only a third use it for data analysis or reporting. Just 5% apply AI to supply‑chain management, one of the areas where automation could deliver the greatest operational impact.
The study suggests that while generative AI has become part of everyday working life for many entrepreneurs, most have yet to extend its use to more complex, time‑consuming or high‑value activities. Six in ten (60%) small business owners believe agentic AI could improve their work‑life balance, and half (50%) say it could free up time to focus on marketing and winning new customers.
Michelle Ovens CBE, CEO and founder of Small Business Britain, said the findings show both progress and untapped potential. “Small business owners wear many different hats, so it’s encouraging to see growing confidence in AI as a critical tool. But the research also makes clear AI’s, and particularly agentic AI’s, untapped potential. There is a real opportunity for technology to completely revolutionise how small business owners manage their business.”
Michelle Lau, Managing Director of Alibaba.com, said current adoption remains surface‑level. “AI has had a transformative effect on many small businesses across the UK, but much of the adoption today has been at a surface level. We’re entering the era of agentic AI with tools like Accio, which can research markets, evaluate suppliers, and manage day‑to‑day operations on a business’s behalf.”
Accio, Alibaba.com’s agentic AI platform, is designed to support entrepreneurs across every stage of running and growing their operations, from researching markets and identifying product opportunities to supplier evaluation and daily management.
Awareness of agentic AI remains limited, with 44% of small businesses having heard of it and just 5% using it regularly. But appetite is growing: 68% of UK entrepreneurs want to learn more about what agentic AI can do, including researching options, comparing information, identifying solutions and helping move tasks towards completion.
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