TL;DR
Get the latest gadgets delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
A Meta-commissioned YouGov survey found that 76% of 3,983 small-business owners across nine Asia-Pacific markets said AI had a positive impact on productivity over the past 12 months. The online survey also found that 86% want more guidance to gain AI’s full benefits, with training cost the most commonly cited barrier.
More than three-quarters of surveyed small-business owners across nine Asia-Pacific markets said AI had a positive impact on their productivity over the past 12 months, according to a Meta-commissioned YouGov study released in October. The online survey of 3,983 owners also found that 86% want more guidance to gain the full benefits of AI, pointing to a gap between adoption and support.
AI use was widespread: 84% of respondents said their business currently uses AI. Alongside the 76% who reported a positive productivity impact, 71% said AI had a positive effect on revenue or sales over the previous 12 months. These are respondents’ reported experiences, not independently measured changes in output or sales.
Owners also described AI as a way to compete with larger firms. Four in five respondents agreed it helps small businesses compete more effectively with bigger companies, and the same share said AI makes starting a business easier. A further 83% said AI lets small businesses do work that previously required substantially more money or resources.
Among owners reporting a productivity benefit, 58% said they used the time saved to improve existing work, 50% put it toward growth and business planning, and 46% said they got more done with their existing team. Among businesses that had used AI in the past year, common applications included creating or editing content (51%), local advertising and marketing (43%), translation (38%), and customer support and communications (37%).
The Support Gap After AI Adoption
The results suggest that many surveyed small businesses have moved beyond simply trying AI: owners report using it in marketing, communications and other everyday tasks. But reported productivity and sales benefits do not establish that AI caused those outcomes. The survey records owners’ views and does not provide a comparison with businesses that did not use AI.
The support figures point to practical obstacles that could affect whether adoption translates into sustained value. More than four in five respondents said small businesses need additional guidance, and 51% identified training cost as a barrier. Owners also said they wanted clearer information about costs and returns, as well as guidance on data privacy and security. Those concerns matter to firms with limited time and resources, which may have less capacity to evaluate tools or arrange training.
The findings are relevant to business groups and policymakers considering how to support smaller firms’ use of digital tools. They show demand for accessible instruction and clearer information, while leaving open how much reported benefit will persist and which approaches work best for different businesses.
AI content creation tools for small business
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Survey Scope and Meta’s Programs
YouGov conducted the online survey for Meta among 3,983 small-business owners in Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong. Responses were collected from Aug. 6 to Sept. 2, 2026. Quotas by business size covered firms with 1–9, 10–19 and 20–49 employees in each market.
Meta says the study is intended to reflect a range of small businesses in each market, but it is not nationally representative of the small-business population. The company also cautions that reported adoption and impact vary between markets, and that differences may reflect how respondents interpret questions, translations or local response norms.
The release accompanies Meta’s Small Business Growth Academy, launched across Asia-Pacific earlier in 2026. Meta says the program, delivered with governments, chambers of commerce and local partners, offers training in AI-enabled advertising, Reels, WhatsApp for Business and cross-border commerce. The company also promotes its own business tools, including Advantage+, ads that click to WhatsApp and Meta Business Agent.
“Small businesses have adopted AI – what they’re asking for now is help using it well.”
— Meta, describing the survey findings
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Limits of the Survey Evidence
The survey does not establish that AI itself caused the reported productivity or sales effects. It relies on owners’ responses and, according to Meta, is not nationally representative in the markets surveyed. The release does not provide a comparison group, detailed methods for estimating business outcomes, or evidence that the reported impacts will continue over time.
Meta also notes that market-to-market differences may reflect survey interpretation, translation and local response norms. The findings therefore should not be read as a direct ranking of AI’s effectiveness across the nine places. It is also unclear from the released material which forms of training would most effectively address owners’ concerns or how many businesses can access training at little or no cost.
As an example, Khotimah said a campaign generated 50 enquiries and returned more than eight times its ad spend, while reducing customer response times. Those figures are the business founder’s reported results; the release does not detail how they were calculated or independently verify them.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Training and Follow-Up Evidence
Meta says it will continue working with governments, partners and entrepreneurs across Asia-Pacific to help small businesses build skills and use AI. Its Small Business Growth Academy is the company’s stated vehicle for delivering practical training, though the release gives no new schedule, participation target or evaluation results.
The next useful evidence would show whether training reaches owners who cite cost as a barrier, whether it improves their understanding of privacy and returns, and whether reported productivity or sales gains can be measured over time. No further survey date or independent assessment was announced alongside the findings.
AI training courses for small business owners
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What did the survey find about AI and productivity?
76% of respondents said AI had a positive impact on productivity over the past 12 months. The figure reflects owners’ reported views, not an independently measured productivity change.
How many small-business owners took part?
YouGov surveyed 3,983 small-business owners online for Meta between Aug. 6 and Sept. 2, 2026, across nine Asia-Pacific markets.
What did owners say they need to use AI more effectively?
86% said small businesses need more guidance to gain AI’s full benefits. Training cost was the most commonly cited barrier, identified by 51%; respondents also wanted clearer information about costs, returns, privacy and security.
Does the survey prove AI increased sales?
No. 71% reported a positive impact on revenue or sales over the past year, but the survey reports owners’ assessments and does not establish that AI caused the results.
Are the results representative of all small businesses in the region?
No. Meta says the findings cover a diverse cross-section in each surveyed market but are not nationally representative of small businesses. The results apply to respondents in the nine markets, subject to the survey’s stated limitations.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
