- 55% of US SMBs that use automation to offset operational costs do so for research, planning and data analysis.
- 10% of businesses are investing more in automation tools than downsizing (3%)
- From inventory management to marketing and content creation, artificial intelligence is increasingly taking over everyday workplace tasks
Website builder specialist last request It reveals that US small and medium businesses are actively using it AI and automation tools to replace routine manual workplace tasks, as a way to offset operating costs.
The results showed that 55% of US SMBs using automation to offset operational costs included the most popular uses. market research (55% of SMEs) as well as work schedule and calendar management (55% of SMEs).
AI investment is prioritized over layoffs
10% Many SMEs are investing in efficiency and automation toolssimply 3% cuts staff or freezes hiring. This suggests that businesses are turning to technology rather than layoffs to help manage costs.
According to the data, the six most common manual tasks being automated among US SMBs that prefer automation technology are:
1. Market research
More than half (55%) Most SMEs say they use automation tools gather and analyze market insightsreducing the need for manual investigation and reporting.
2. Planning and Calendar Management
55% uses job automation manage planning and calendarsassist in arranging meetings, coordinate meetings and admin reduce day to day.
3. Data Analysis
More than half (52%) companies use artificial intelligence processes and interprets business dataallows them generate reports faster and make decisions greater accuracy.
4. Inventory Management
It is used by automation technology 52% of US SMEs track inventory and manage supply chainshelps them forecast demand, avoid drawbacks and adjust stock in real time.
5. Writing tasks
About half (48%) uses AI to create content like email and marketing copymaking campaigns faster, more consistent in tone, and easier to scale across channels.
6. Personalized marketing
42% uses automation for real-time custom marketinghelp them run more targeted campaigns, increase conversion rates and creating long-term customer loyalty.
- The main tasks that enterprises should not outsource to artificial intelligence:
The 55% of US SMBs that use automation to offset operational costs have some specific tasks that SMBs don’t automate as much:
- Cyber security measures (0% of SMEs)
- Legal research (27% of SMEs)
- Design tasks (30% of SMEs)
- Classification of documents (30% of SMEs)
The tasks listed above are considered higher risk and may involve sensitive customer information or require human supervision.
While an AI-generated typo can be fixed in seconds, a security breach or legal issue can take months of work to resolve. It can even harm you can’t recover from In these cases, it is best to rely more on human expertise for critical tasks.
- 4 tips for effective workplace automation:
Before business leaders start automating key tasks in 2026, remember:
- Assess your requirements (Ask yourself: “What tasks do I need to simplify?”)
- Check your budget
- Compare tools on the market, see coverage, price and ease of use
- Consider the needs of your team and whether they require onboarding and training
editor Website builder specialistLucy Carney comments: “Against a backdrop of steeper operating costs, it is interesting to see that 10% of SMEs are using automation as a key strategy to offset this financial pressure. What I find interesting when digging deeper here are the types of tasks that are being automated – heavy manual tasks like market research and planning are being replaced the most. This marks a shift away from downsizing staff, freeing them up to work on less repetitive tasks, and towards getting more value out of time..”
