Facilitating AI Acceptance in SMEs: Exploring the End-User Perspective

Abstract

Despite the great potential, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) still hesitate to use artificial intelligence (AI). One key reason is the concern about acceptance by employees. To gain a deeper understanding of the influencing factors and their relationship with AI experience in SMEs, a survey and a structural equation model (SEM) were developed. Thereby, the study explicitly focused on operational employees. The findings show that over 62% of the variance in employee acceptance of AI can be explained by six key determinants: usefulness, ease of use, job insecurity, productivity, environmental sustainability, and business culture. Among these factors, business culture exerts the strongest correlation on AI acceptance. Environmental sustainability also plays a more substantial role than ease of use and job insecurity. These results underscore the relevance of a company’s own business culture and the perceived ecological impact of AI applications. The findings offer valuable insights for entrepreneurs seeking to foster greater employee acceptance. Additionally, the study reveals a significant negative correlation between AI experience and its perceived ease of use. This suggests that companies should prioritize user-friendliness more strongly when selecting AI applications, and it underscores the need for training and time for familiarization. Overall, the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of successful AI implementations, thereby supporting the greater spread of AI in SMEs.