While the media hype around artificial intelligence suggests a widespread revolution, the reality in the SME sector is much more nuanced. The latest data from team.blue’s Digital Maturity Report, covering more than 8200 companies from 30 countries, sheds light on a significant barrier to growth. The problem is no longer the availability of technology, but the ‘understanding gap’, which is hitting established companies particularly hard.
A picture of a two-speed market emerges from the survey. While 20 per cent of companies are heavily implementing AI and a further 30 per cent are experimenting with it, business veterans remain sceptical. Among companies that have been operating for more than a decade, as many as 60 per cent show resistance to implementing AI. Experts diagnose this as pressure on smaller players who have ambitions but get lost in the maze of possibilities.
The main inhibitor appears to be a deficit of confidence and competence. Nearly half of respondents still consider the effects of AI to be inferior to human performance, fearing for data security and brand image. What’s more, 30 per cent of entrepreneurs admit outright that they don’t know what tools to use, and the sector’s self-assessment of digital competence is only a cool 6 out of 10. Technology is perceived as complex and time-consuming, which, with limited resources for SMEs, leads to decision-making paralysis.
The lesson is clear for the IT industry and the partner channel: the era of just selling licences is coming to an end. Jonas Dhaenens, founder of team.blue, rightly points out that tools only have value if they empower the user. The market is sending out an SOS signal – half of companies expect step-by-step support, not more complex platforms. The key to unlocking the potential of European SMEs is therefore not newer technology, but more effective education and guidance in the digital thicket.
