According to Holded’s Emprende Report, AI is no longer just an experimental technology; 31% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are already using it, 75% of entrepreneurs consider it essential for entrepreneurship, and those who use it estimate that it saves an average of 13.3 hours per week on operational and administrative tasks.
AI Still Primarily an Efficiency Tool
The adoption of artificial intelligence by Spanish small businesses is advancing, though its impact is currently concentrated mainly on efficiency and productivity. Among the companies that already use AI, 42% report a productivity increase as one of their main effects, followed by the automation of repetitive tasks (33%), the improvement in quality (32%), and cost savings (31%). They also highlight improved customer service (29%) and access to more information for decision-making (25%).
By contrast, the most transformative effects still carry less weight: 22% report higher sales and 20% report the development of new products or services. In terms of employment, 13% of AI users identify the creation of new jobs as an impact, exactly the same percentage that notes staff reductions. Privacy concerns (8%) and unreliable results with potential impact on work (4%) currently appear as minority effects.
Time savings constitute one of the most tangible effects. The estimated average savings reach 13.3 hours per week: 20.3% of users save between 0 and 5 hours, 27.1% save between 5 and 10, 18.4% save between 10 and 15, 9.8% save between 15 and 20, 12.2% save between 20 and 30, 4.3% save between 30 and 40, and 7.9% save more than 40 hours per week.
AI uses are particularly tied to tasks that save time and automate processes. Content creation and marketing lead the list, at 47.8%, followed by data analysis and insights (31.7%), management and administration (30.65%), customer service (29.1%), sales and prospecting (24.9%), finance and accounting (24.9%), and programming and IT (15.1%).
75% See AI as Key
The perception of artificial intelligence among Spanish entrepreneurs is largely positive: 75% consider it essential for entrepreneurship. When asked what they would do with this technology, the main responses relate to efficiency and productivity (10.3%), general task support (9.3%), its use in the business (9.1%), learning and inquiries (8.9%), and implementation and administrative management (8.9%). Rejection and distrust account for only 2.1% of responses.
However, adoption still faces obstacles. Among companies that already use AI, the main barrier to advancing is economic cost (37%), followed by a lack of knowledge (28.6%), technical difficulty (27.3%), lack of time (24.7%), resistance to change (19.2%), and legal or regulatory risks (19.2%). A 13.8% also cites unreliable results as a barrier.
The reason for not using AI differs between those who have yet to take the plunge. In this group, the main reason given is not perceiving it as necessary for the business (20.4%), followed by lack of knowledge or technical difficulty (15%), and others who are in the process of implementing it (12.2%). 8.7% express distrust or unreliability, while 7.6% prefer human or traditional work. The high cost accounts for only 4.5% of responses.
Thus, the report identifies a difference between those who have already incorporated AI and those who have not: for the former, the challenge is to extract more value from a technology they already use; for the latter, the main challenge is to find a clear and useful application for their business and to overcome the distrust and unfamiliarity that progress in AI generates.
This need for knowledge also begins to show up in entrepreneurs’ overall concerns. The lack of knowledge, at 9%, appears for the first time among their concerns, in a context that the report links to the emergence of AI and other technologies.
AI Is Already a Priority
Despite its rapid uptake, AI still does not top the list of technologies deemed decisive for business growth by entrepreneurs. Social media leads with 22.45%, followed by management software (13.17%), no single tool in particular (12.75%), and cloud storage (12.6%). AI appears in fifth place, with 11.5%, ahead of ecommerce platforms or marketplaces (8.39%), task or project management tools (7%), data analytics tools (6.72%), and collaboration tools like Teams or Slack (5%).
The contrast between adoption and perceived impact is one of the study’s key findings: AI is moving forward as a daily-use tool faster than it is recognized as a growth lever.
This evolution is also reflected in the support needs. Access to financing remains the primary need, at 28%, followed by legal, labor, and/or tax advice (26%) and training in digitalization and specialized training for entrepreneurs or employees (25% in both). Yet practical training in AI applied to business already reaches 23%, while 20% request support for integration and deployment of AI and automation. Also 19% demand access to qualified external talent and another 19% seek support for data protection and cybersecurity.
The intensity of this need for support rises compared with 2025: the Emprende 2026 report notes that virtually all categories grow by 4 to 14 percentage points versus the previous year. Rather than signaling a radical shift in priorities, the study points to a generalized increase in the need for support among entrepreneurs.
AI is also consolidating as one of the trends likely to shape the coming years. Digitalization leads at 38%, closely followed by AI at 36%, while sustainability reaches 31%, remote work 26%, regulatory changes 25%, and responsible consumption 23%. The gap between digitalization and AI narrows, while remote work gains four points and surpasses responsible consumption.
Conclusions from the Emprende 2026 Report:
- The Emprende 2026 Report shows that AI has moved from being part of digitalization expectations to becoming a tool already present in a significant portion of Spain’s SME fabric. 31% of SMEs are already using AI, and the average time savings among users is 13.3 hours per week, mainly thanks to improvements in productivity, automation, and cost savings.
- At the same time, the study points to a second adoption phase: the challenge is no longer merely to incorporate the technology, but to integrate it and turn it into value for the business. Cost and lack of technical knowledge are the main barriers among those who already use AI, while the lack of a perceived need continues to hold back those who have not yet adopted.
- Therefore, training and mentoring play an increasingly relevant role. Practical AI training applied to business is already a need for 23% of entrepreneurs, practically on par with other traditional needs such as digitalization or specialized training, both at 25%.
