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A Meta-commissioned YouGov survey of 3,983 small-business owners across nine Asia-Pacific markets found that 76% of respondents who were surveyed reported a positive productivity impact from AI over the past 12 months. But 86% said small businesses need more guidance to gain AI’s full benefits, with training costs the most frequently cited barrier.
A Meta-commissioned YouGov survey found that 76% of small-business owners surveyed across nine Asia-Pacific markets said AI had a positive impact on productivity over the past 12 months, while 86% said businesses need more guidance to gain AI’s full benefits. The findings point to broad reported adoption alongside concerns about training costs, returns and data security.
The online survey covered 3,983 small-business owners in Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong. YouGov collected responses from August 6 to September 2, 2026, using business-size quotas within each market for firms with 1–9, 10–19 and 20–49 employees. Meta commissioned the research and published the results.
Across respondents, 84% said their business currently uses AI. In addition to the productivity finding, 71% reported a positive effect on revenue or sales during the past 12 months. These are owners’ reported experiences in the survey, not independently measured changes in output or sales.
Among owners reporting a positive productivity impact, 58% said they used time saved to improve existing work, 50% put it toward growth and business planning, and 46% said their team got more done. Among surveyed owners whose businesses used AI in the past year, common applications included content creation or editing (51%), local advertising and marketing (43%), translation (38%), and customer support or communications (37%).
Reported Gains Meet Demand for Guidance
The results suggest that small-business owners surveyed are already using AI for practical work, including marketing, translation and customer communications. Owners also see potential for AI to help smaller firms compete: 80% agreed it helps small businesses compete more effectively with larger companies, and the same share said it makes starting a business easier. A further 83% said it enables businesses to do things that previously required significantly more money or resources.
Those responses describe perceptions, rather than proof that AI has closed gaps between small and large businesses. Still, the combination of reported productivity and sales benefits with requests for support highlights an issue for businesses considering wider use: adoption does not automatically mean owners know how to use tools effectively or judge their costs and risks.
Training and clearer information could affect whether small firms can make informed decisions about AI investment. In the survey, 51% cited cost as a barrier to training; respondents also asked for clearer information about costs and return on investment, and guidance on data privacy and security.
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How the Survey Was Conducted
The findings come from an online YouGov survey commissioned by Meta, rather than a government census or an independent evaluation of specific AI products. Quotas were applied by business size in each of the nine markets to include firms with 1–9, 10–19 and 20–49 employees.
Meta said the results offer insights across a cross-section of small businesses in each market, but are not nationally representative of each market’s small-business population. The company also cautioned that results differed among markets and that variation may partly reflect how owners interpreted questions, translation and local response norms.
Meta linked the release to its Small Business Growth Academy, launched earlier in 2026 across Asia-Pacific with governments, chambers of commerce and local partners. The company says the programme offers training in AI-enabled advertising, Reels, WhatsApp for Business and cross-border commerce. It also promoted its own business tools, including Advantage+, click-to-WhatsApp ads and Meta Business Agent.
“Small businesses have adopted AI – what they’re asking for now is help using it well.”
— Meta, describing the survey findings
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Limits of the Survey Findings
The survey does not establish that AI caused the reported productivity or sales benefits. It records owners’ assessments of impact, without a comparison group or independently measured business outcomes in the material released by Meta. The results also do not show whether reported benefits persisted beyond the 12-month period owners were asked about.
Because the sample is not nationally representative, its percentages should not be treated as estimates for all small businesses in the nine markets or elsewhere. Meta said responses differed across markets but did not provide enough detail in the release to explain the scale or causes of those differences. It is also unclear how respondents defined AI or which specific tools they counted.
The survey identifies cost as a leading training barrier and reports requests for information on returns and data security, but it does not quantify what training costs owners face or how much guidance would change adoption or outcomes. Meta’s individual business example is an attributed company account, not evidence that other firms would achieve comparable results.
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Meta’s Planned Small-Business Support
Meta said it will continue working with governments, industry partners and entrepreneurs across Asia-Pacific to provide small businesses with skills, tools and confidence to use AI. The company points to its Small Business Growth Academy as an existing channel for practical training, but the release does not give a schedule for future programmes or set measurable targets for participation or results.
For owners, the questions raised by the survey remain practical: what tools cost, whether they offer a worthwhile return, and how customer or business data is handled. No independent follow-up or evaluation timetable was provided with the findings. Further evidence on training access, costs and measured business outcomes would help clarify how reported benefits translate into sustained gains.
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Key Questions
How many small-business owners took part?
YouGov surveyed 3,983 owners online across Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong. Data was collected from August 6 to September 2, 2026.
What share reported an AI productivity benefit?
76% of respondents said AI had a positive impact on productivity over the past 12 months. This is a self-reported survey finding, not an independently measured productivity increase.
What kinds of work did businesses use AI for?
Among surveyed owners whose businesses used AI in the past year, 51% cited creating or editing content, 43% local advertising and marketing, 38% translation, and 37% customer support or communications.
What support did respondents say they need?
86% said small businesses need more guidance to gain AI’s full benefits. Cost was the leading reported barrier to training, cited by 51%; owners also sought clearer information on costs, returns, data privacy and security.
Can the findings represent all small businesses in the region?
No. Meta said the survey provides insights across a cross-section of small businesses in each market but is not nationally representative. The findings should not be treated as population-wide estimates.
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