Why AI Matters for MSMEs
MSMEs are a major part of Indonesia's economy. The article cites approximately 65.4 million MSMEs, representing nearly 99 percent of business units in Indonesia. The sector also contributed around 61 percent of national gross domestic product based on 2022 data. At the same time, changing consumer behavior, digital competition, and rapid technological development are forcing MSMEs to reconsider how they create value and serve customers.
AI offers several tools that can address these challenges. Businesses can use AI to automate repetitive tasks, analyze information, personalize marketing, predict market conditions, and support decision-making. However, simply adopting an AI application does not guarantee business growth. MSMEs must also have the skills, reliable data, infrastructure, and organizational readiness needed to use the technology effectively.
How the Study Examined AI Adoption
Hartutik and colleagues used a qualitative case-study approach to examine how MSMEs integrate AI into their business activities. The researchers interviewed 15 informants, consisting of 10 MSME owners or managers, three business mentors, and two technology practitioners. The MSME participants had operated their businesses for at least two years and had used at least one AI-based application for a minimum of six months.
The researchers also examined supporting evidence such as marketing materials, sales reports, application screenshots, and business-process documents. The interview and observation data were organized into themes to identify recurring patterns in AI adoption and its effects on business operations.
Six major themes emerged: gradual AI adoption, operational efficiency, personalized marketing and service innovation, data-driven decision-making, changes in business models and competitiveness, and the need for human oversight and organizational readiness.
MSMEs Usually Start with Simple AI Applications
The study found that MSMEs generally do not begin AI adoption with complicated digital transformation programs. Instead, adoption often starts with straightforward needs.
Businesses may initially use AI to generate content ideas, prepare promotional materials, manage social media, answer routine customer questions, or reduce repetitive administrative work. Once users become familiar with the technology, some expand its use to product descriptions, customer segmentation, sales analysis, inventory forecasting, and business decision support.
Operational efficiency was one of the most frequently reported benefits. AI helped businesses speed up promotional-content creation, organize information, prepare sales summaries, and handle repetitive activities. The benefit can be particularly important for small businesses where owners often perform several roles simultaneously.
The researchers also found that AI does not necessarily make work faster immediately. Business owners still need time to learn how to provide effective instructions, evaluate AI-generated results, and adapt those results to their specific business context.
AI Makes Marketing More Personalized
Another important change occurs in customer communication. Instead of producing the same promotional message for everyone, MSMEs can use AI to help tailor content according to customer groups, products, promotional periods, and communication channels.
AI can also support routine customer service. Simple questions can receive faster responses, while complaints, negotiations, and more complex customer needs remain under human control. This creates a hybrid model in which AI handles repetitive communication while employees or business owners manage interactions requiring judgment and empathy.
Business Decisions Are Becoming More Data-Driven
AI is also changing how some MSME owners make decisions. Previously, business decisions often relied heavily on experience and intuition. With better records of sales, promotions, and customer interactions, AI can help identify patterns and provide possible courses of action.
However, the technology does not replace human judgment. AI recommendations still need to be compared with market conditions, production capacity, raw-material availability, and information from customers and suppliers. Data quality is equally important because incomplete or inconsistent information can produce unreliable recommendations.
Importantly, the researchers caution that greater efficiency does not automatically translate into higher sales. Initial benefits may appear instead through more organized business processes, consistent marketing, faster customer service, and more time for creative and relationship-based activities.
Digital Skills Remain a Major Challenge
Despite the opportunities, MSMEs face barriers including limited digital knowledge, poor data quality, workforce constraints, internet dependence, cost considerations, and concerns about the accuracy of AI-generated outputs. Customer-data security and privacy are also important because some businesses have not yet established clear rules about what information can be entered into AI applications.
Hartutik and colleagues from STIA Lancang Kuning Dumai therefore recommend gradual AI adoption. Businesses can begin by identifying a specific operational problem, selecting an appropriate tool, testing it on a limited activity, integrating successful applications into daily workflows, and evaluating benefits and risks before expanding their use.
The authors' findings suggest that AI should be viewed not simply as an automation tool but as a potential component of business strategy. As Hartutik and her colleagues explain through their analysis, AI can progress from supporting individual tasks to becoming part of business processes and, eventually, contributing to changes in the business model itself.
Implications for MSMEs and Policymakers
The findings have implications beyond individual businesses. Government agencies, universities, MSME mentors, and technology providers can help accelerate responsible AI adoption through practical training, digital-literacy programs, data-management assistance, affordable technology, and business-oriented mentoring.
For MSMEs, the central lesson is that successful AI adoption does not necessarily require expensive or complex systems. Starting with a clearly defined business problem and gradually expanding successful applications may provide a more realistic pathway toward digital transformation.
Author Profile
The article was written by Dwi Hartutik, Novelma Lastri, Andi Desy Musdiana, Suprasman, and Variza Aditiya, all affiliated with STIA Lancang Kuning Dumai. Dwi Hartutik is identified as the corresponding author. The article does not provide the authors' academic degrees or individual fields of expertise, so those details cannot be stated accurately from the source.
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