The small and medium-sized enterprises of the countries that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have doubled the use of artificial intelligence in the last two years. According to a report released by Amazon this Wednesday, these companies claim to have gained in productivity and capacity to innovate, although at the same time the gap with large corporations has widened.
According to the study "Boosting European SMEs with Artificial Intelligence (AI)," based on OECD statistics, the proportion of SMEs using AI in these countries has increased from 7% in 2023 to more than 17% in 2025.
In parallel, large companies have advanced in the integration of AI at a rate approximately double that of SMEs. As a result, the adoption gap between both business groups has grown from 23 to almost 35 percentage points in the same interval. The report emphasizes that nearly half of the small and medium-sized enterprises surveyed by the OECD see it as essential to intensify the use of AI to avoid losing competitiveness.
Despite this gap, the collected data shows that nine out of ten SMEs that already use generative AI report increases in productivity, while 76% claim to have strengthened their capacity to innovate. Additionally, 33% of microenterprises and self-employed workers who have incorporated AI assert that this technology has had transformative effects on their activity, compared to 22% of medium-sized companies.
The report identifies as a key challenge that these benefits also reach businesses with lower digital maturity, which are precisely those that have implemented the least AI solutions and, at the same time, those that could obtain the greatest returns if they adopt them.
Among the OECD's recommendations to accelerate the implementation of AI in SMEs, the document highlights the improvement of digital infrastructure, with fast, stable, and affordable broadband throughout the territory, as well as sufficient access to computing resources. It also advocates for strengthening digital skills and talent, including management skills to detect in which areas AI adds the most value and promoting training programs that reach management teams.
The text also proposes to facilitate access to financing through direct aid, such as bonds and grants, and through instruments like loans. It also suggests the creation of local support networks for SMEs that offer advice, training, and support in AI, along with a regulatory framework adapted to the reality of smaller companies, which includes regulatory simplification and a "constructive" dialogue between administrations and the business fabric.
"AI has the potential to become a driver of productivity, innovation, and international expansion for SMEs. Allowing small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe to adopt AI safely and responsibly could be decisive in ensuring Europe's long-term competitiveness," says economist and coordinator of the OECD's Digital for SMEs (D4SME) initiative, Marco Bianchini.
"Artificial intelligence is helping small and medium-sized enterprises compete on a large scale and reach customers all over the world with resources that were previously only available to large companies. The challenge now is to ensure its use extends to all SMEs in a widespread manner," emphasizes Lila Fernández, Director of Strategic Account Services at Amazon in Europe.
The document cites the Spanish company Fetén as an illustrative case, a small business that emerged in a municipality in Guadalajara with less than 5,000 inhabitants that is expanding into several European markets by selling through Amazon with the support of AI tools. According to the company, the thousands of SMEs operating on its platform collectively export more than 1.2 billion euros a year and generate over 45,000 jobs linked to managing their online businesses.