Small business owners’ interest in AI technologies is growing despite waning market confidence.

Seventy-five percent of SMB owners plan to experiment with AI in 2025, and 34% have already fully implemented AI into their operations, according to an April 14 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce that references data based on 3,350 SMB owners surveyed by Salesforce. Additionally, 71% of SMB owners plan to up their AI investment in 2026, the report notes.

SMB pessimism

Interest in AI among SMB owners comes amid volatile business confidence levels spurred by market uncertainty, according to JPMorgan Chase.

Since January, several sentiment indicators have fallen sharply, reflecting growing pessimism about the broader macroeconomic environment and business outlook, according to data from the $4.3 trillion Chase shared with Bank Automation News.

Key sentiment shifts since January include:

• 31% of owners believe the macro environment is good for business, compared with 51% in January;
• 67% remain optimistic about their business, a drop from 79%; and
• 60% believe inflation will worsen, up from 48%.

Reduced profitability and cash flow were among the top concerns of SMBs in April, according to the data.

The April Commerce Department report shows SMB owner sentiment is also in stark contrast to March, when 78% of small business owners reported feeling optimistic about the future and 40% were eyeing expansion, John Frerichs, head of global SMB payments at the $4.3 trillion Chase, recently told BAN.

AI interest stands pat

Still, SMB owners, particularly in cities like Boston, San Diego, Tampa, Chicago and Seattle, which provide SMBs with access to local tech talent and collaboration opportunities, remain committed to growth, Jameson Troutman, head of product for small business at Chase, recently told BAN.

Innovative SMB owners, particularly in these cities, are exploring AI, including agentic AI, for sales forecasting and customer service to streamline operations and expand, Troutman said.

In fact, 91% of SMBs claim AI boosts their revenue, and 90% say it improves operational efficiency, according to the Commerce Department report.

“Newer, dynamic businesses are more tech-savvy and thus more open to leveraging newer technologies that will help them gain a competitive edge in the market and create efficiencies,” Troutman said, echoing the report’s findings.

Banks are also leveraging AI and automation to help SMBs, including:

• $665 billion U.S. Bank rolled out its Spend Management platform that includes AI-powered receipt capture in April;

  

• $9.9 billion ConnectOne Bank automates 100% of the loan decisioning process for personal and business loans through its partnership with fintech Mantl; and
• Chase uses AI and analytics to provide SMB clients with customer insight data and cash flow forecasting.

“We want to empower small business owners to implement new technologies without straining their cash flow,” Troutman said.