Broad Adoption of AI by SMEs: Overview of 2023 Activities and 2024 Outlook

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Non-Profit Organizations (NGOs), and government-funded institutions typically employ 80% of a country's workforce. However, these organizations usually have low AI maturity as they often lack the resources, skills, data, or IT infrastructure to develop and adopt AI solutions. Understanding AI's capabilities, identifying AI use cases, and applying AI solutions are critical success factors for these organizations and the economies that host them. Early adopters of AI will have a critical advantage from experience with AI applications. The GPAI “Broad Adoption of AI by SMEs” working group has been working hard to address this issue and promote the widespread adoption of AI. This report highlights the significant achievements made in 2023 towards realizing this vision. The SMEs Committee recommendations were delivered as both a report, and also actualized as a web portal (“AI4SME Portal”) since 2021 which implements the report’s recommendations. The portal is meant for matching SMEs with low AI maturity and solution providers that have the relevant experience in delivering the AI solutions that meet the needs of the SMEs.