Adoption of Artificial Intelligence Tools in Small Enterprises in the EU and the Czech Republic: Barriers, Opportunities and Implications for Marketing Strategies
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Technická Univerzita v Liberci
Technical university of Liberec, Czech Republic
Technical university of Liberec, Czech Republic
Abstract
This paper focuses on analyzing the adoption rate of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in small enterprises in the Czech Republic and the European Union. It utilizes secondary quantitative data from Eurostat databases, the Czech Statistical Office, and other relevant sources. The aim is to identify current trends, cross-country differences, and key factors influencing small businesses' decisions to implement AI technologies, with an emphasis on their application in marketing. The findings show that despite growing interest in AI technologies, their adoption among small firms remains low. While 41% of large enterprises in the EU implemented at least one AI tool in 2024, only 12% of small enterprises did so, and in the Czech Republic, the figure was just 9%. This confirms the persistent digital divide between companies of different sizes and highlights the potential decline in small firms’ competitiveness. The main barriers to the adoption of AI technologies include high costs and a lack of expertise. The analysis includes correlation and regression analysis, which demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between the level of employee training in information and communication technologies and the level of adoption of AI technologies in small enterprises. Small firms most often implement more accessible tools focused on natural language generation, text analysis and automated customer support. The paper also provides an overview of possible support measures, which can contribute to more effective implementation of AI technologies in marketing and other business processes of small enterprises.
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Small Enterprises, Artificial Intelligence, Marketing, Digital Transformation, AI Barriers
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978-80-7494-747-6