Around 40% of Australian small and medium businesses are already actively using AI and a further 13% plan to introduce it, according to research NAB released on 21 August 2026. The more useful finding is about everyone else. When owners were asked what would give them the confidence to try AI, the top answer was not training or advice. It was seeing a working example in a business like their own.
Who published the research
The report is called Beyond the Hype: What SMEs Want from AI. It is part of the NAB SME Business Insights series, written by NAB's Behavioural and Industry Economics team and dated August 2026. NAB's news release of 21 August 2026 says the bank surveyed 700 small and medium businesses.
NAB is a bank, not a statistical agency, so this is commercial research and should be read that way. It earns attention because the questions are practical and because the Australian Government's National AI Centre has chosen to work with NAB on the back of it. More on that below.
SME AI adoption: the main findings
Owners were asked what would encourage them to try AI or feel more confident using it. The shares add to more than 100%, so owners could evidently pick more than one answer.
| What would build confidence | Share of SMEs |
|---|---|
| Seeing a working example in a business like mine | 32% |
| A free, short course I can do in my own time | 18% |
| A tool that analyses my business data and highlights risks or opportunities | 17% |
| Being shown how to keep business data private and secure when using AI | 16% |
| Talking to another small business owner who already uses it | 15% |
| A clear checklist of do's and don'ts for getting started | 13% |
| Guidance from my bank, accountant or another trusted adviser | 7% |
| Nothing, I am already confident using AI | 20% |
| I do not want or need to use AI in my business | 23% |
Two things stand out. First, the market is divided: one in five owners say they are already confident, and a slightly larger group say they do not want or need AI at all. Second, the owners in between are asking for proof and for reassurance about data, not for more enthusiasm.
Where owners see value first
NAB then asked a sharper question: if AI could improve one important decision or process in the next 30 days, what would you most want help with?
- Drafting or improving marketing content such as social posts, emails and website copy: 23%
- Analysing revenue, costs or cash flow to spot patterns: 18%
- Reviewing a contract, quote or supplier agreement before signing: 9%
- Helping to train or onboard a new team member: 7%
- Comparing quotes from suppliers or service providers: 5%
- Preparing better questions for an accountant, banker or adviser: 2%
- I do not want or need to use AI: 25%
NAB's reading is that owners start where the risk is low. Marketing copy can be reviewed, edited and approved by the owner before anyone sees it. Financial analysis sits closer to the core of the business but offers a clear benefit if it picks up a cost or cash-flow trend earlier. Tasks that carry legal, commercial or relationship risk attract far less interest, which suggests owners still value specialist advice for those.
The differences between industries
The report's strongest message may be that there is no single small business view of AI.
- Confidence: the share already confident using AI was highest in transport and storage (39%), manufacturing (33%), retail (29%) and construction (28%), against 20% across all SMEs. It was 4% in both finance and insurance and property services.
- Data tools: a tool that analyses business data appealed most in retail (37%), manufacturing (35%) and construction (32%), around twice the all-SME result.
- Marketing: a third of retail and property services businesses (33% each) nominated marketing content as the task they would most want help with.
- Contracts: retail businesses were much more likely to want contracts, quotes or supplier agreements reviewed (25%, against 9% overall).
- No immediate use: on the 30-day question, 39% of both manufacturing and transport and storage businesses said they did not want or need AI, compared with 13% in finance and insurance and in business services.
In other words, a manufacturer can be confident with the technology and still see no pressing use for it this month, while a professional services firm can see uses everywhere and feel much less sure of itself.
How owners expect AI to change the business
Looking one to two years ahead, 34% of SMEs expect AI mainly to help them run more efficiently with little change to roles, and 19% expect it to help them grow or scale without adding many more staff. NAB adds these together: 53% see AI supporting efficiency or scale. Only 12% expect it to change the types of roles and skills they need, 14% expect little or no impact, and 5% are concerned it could harm their business.
There is plenty of uncertainty as well. Some 17% think AI will create opportunities but are not sure how, and another 17% do not know what role it will play.
How this sits beside the official figures
NAB's 40% is much higher than the official statistic. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on 25 June 2026 that around 12 per cent of Australian businesses used AI in 2024-25: around 11 per cent of small and micro businesses, 22 per cent of medium-sized businesses and around 35 per cent of large ones. The two surveys cover different periods, different samples and different questions, so the numbers should not be compared directly. What the ABS figures do show is the direction: use is rising, and smaller businesses trail larger ones.
On 24 August 2026 the National AI Centre published a post from its executive director saying the findings of NAB's quarterly SME insights report, Unlocking AI Potential: SME Adoption and Workforce Readiness, match what the Centre sees through its own AI adoption tracker. The post cites that report as showing that one in five SMEs using AI report transformational improvements, while workforce readiness was rated just 3.8 out of 10. NAB and the Centre are developing a practical education program for small businesses. NAB says dates and registration details are still to be announced.
What an SME owner should take from it
The survey describes where other owners are. It is also a reasonable guide to getting started without wasting money.
- Pick one familiar problem. Owners in the survey responded to specific business outcomes, not to AI as a general capability. Choose a task that already costs you time every week.
- Start where you can check the output. Drafts of marketing copy, internal summaries and first-pass analysis are easy to review before they leave the building.
- Get your data in order first. A tool can only find patterns in sales, costs and cash flow if those figures are accurate and held in one place, not spread across spreadsheets and inboxes.
- Write down what may go into which tool. Data privacy was a confidence barrier for 16% of owners. A one-page rule on customer details, financial records and staff information removes most of the doubt.
- Keep people responsible for the high-stakes work. Contracts, quotes and advice to clients still need someone accountable to read them.
- Measure the result. Decide in advance what you expect to save or improve, then check whether it happened.
- Bring staff with you. A readiness score of 3.8 out of 10 says the tools are ahead of the training.
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Key takeaways
- NAB research released on 21 August 2026 found around 40% of SMEs actively using AI, with a further 13% planning to.
- The strongest confidence trigger, at 32%, is seeing a working example in a similar business.
- Owners see the earliest value in marketing content (23%) and in analysing revenue, costs or cash flow (18%).
- Attitudes differ sharply by industry, so advice written for one sector may not suit another.
- The ABS measures business AI use at around 12 per cent for 2024-25 using a different survey, so the two figures are not comparable.
Frequently asked questions
How many Australian small businesses use AI?
It depends on the survey. NAB's August 2026 research found around 40% of SMEs actively using AI. The ABS, using a different survey and period, reported that around 12 per cent of all businesses used AI in 2024-25.
Is the NAB report an official statistic?
No. It is research by NAB's Behavioural and Industry Economics team based on a survey of 700 small and medium businesses. The official business statistics come from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
What do SMEs most want AI to help with?
In NAB's survey the most common answers were drafting or improving marketing content (23%) and analysing revenue, costs or cash flow (18%). A quarter of owners said they did not want or need AI.
What is the NAB and National AI Centre training program?
NAB says it is working with the National AI Centre on a practical education program to help small and medium businesses identify opportunities for AI and use it responsibly. Dates and registration details had not been announced at the time of writing.
Where should a small business start with AI?
The survey points to low-risk tasks where a person can review the output, such as marketing drafts and first-pass analysis of business figures, supported by clear rules on what data staff may put into a tool.