SMEs 2026: AI Advances but Remains a Low Priority

Small and medium-sized enterprises report using artificial intelligence much more than a year ago, while prioritizing e-invoicing and traditional software over AI in their projects. Digital spending declined in 2025, and fewer leaders consider digital beneficial compared to 2025.

One-third of micro and small businesses did not invest in digital in 2025

In 2025, 33% of micro and small businesses did not spend anything on digital outside of training and recruitment, an increase of 8 points. The share of those who invested more than €1,000 fell to 37% (-5 points). Despite this context, 78% report having digital projects for 2026 and 2027. Since September 1, 2026, all businesses must be able to receive electronic invoices, and this reform is the top priority for 39% (+11 points). Software purchases are mentioned by 26% (-2 points), training by 21% (+4 points), and hardware purchases by 19% (-3 points). Artificial intelligence ranks last among priorities, at 18% (-1 point) for the next two years.

AI adoption surges, primarily content-oriented uses

The reported use of at least one AI solution reached 40% in 2026, up from 26% in 2025 and 13% in 2024, marking a tripling in two years. Among SMEs, the proportion rose from 34% to 53% in one year, while the exact rate for micro businesses is not published and remains below average. Ipsos had already noted this lag among micro businesses. Sectoral disparities persist, with 72% of users in digital and 18% in agriculture, where the share has doubled in one year. The main uses involve content generation (34%, +12 points), followed by chatbots and information search (24%, +10), document analysis and classification (13%, +7), task automation (11%, +6), and data analysis, forecasting, and optimization (9%, +4). Over the year, overall AI usage increased by 14 points. Additionally, 19% of businesses use a paid AI solution, a proportion that rises to 32% among SMEs. Among AI users, 68% view the impact positively, and this figure reaches 84% among those who pay for their tools; the barometer notes an association between payment and positive judgment, without establishing a causal link.

Cybersecurity and data: a broad base, MFA on the rise

Over the past twelve months, 39% of micro and small businesses experienced at least one cybersecurity incident, with phishing being the most common at 18%. In 65% of cases, the incident was resolved internally. A large majority, 84%, have implemented at least one cybersecurity measure, a stable level, and multi-factor authentication is the only measure to show improvement, at 39% (+7 points). To manage their activities, 76% leverage their data (+1 point), primarily through an ERP or CRM (51%) and spreadsheets (44%). Businesses rely more on spreadsheets than on data analysis software to manage their operations.

Skills, connectivity, and supplier relationships in numbers

66% of businesses believe they possess digital skills, down 4 points, while reliance on external resources has dropped to 27% (-10 points). Connectivity is improving, with 87% connected to fiber, an increase of 14 points compared to 2024, and similar levels in urban (88%) and rural (85%) areas. Regarding suppliers, 84% prefer a French or European provider, and 42% a local provider, down 14 points from 2023. Environmentally, 57% recycle their equipment or purchase refurbished items (-1 point). The level of online presence remains significant, as 83% have at least one visibility device (-1 point) and 64% own a website. 17% derive more than half of their revenue from digital sources (+2 points), while the share offering online sales or payments decreased to 34% (-3 points). Finally, 21% received digital training in 2025 (+1 point).

The share of leaders convinced by digital drops by 7 points

The share of leaders who believe that digital brings real benefits to their business stands at 71%, down 7 points from 2025. Among micro businesses, the decrease reaches 8 points, while for SMEs, the rate is 83% (-1 point). All detailed sectors show a decline, with drops of up to 10 points in agriculture (52%) and transport-logistics (60%). In the agricultural sector, just over one in two leaders considers that they derive real benefits from digital.

Method: 9,655 businesses surveyed in spring 2026

The survey was conducted by Crédoc and the Customer Relations Center. It covers 9,655 businesses with 0 to 249 employees, including 2,869 SMEs and 6,786 micro businesses, with 799 structures having no employees. Responses were collected online and by phone between March 23 and April 18, 2026.