Pax8: two-thirds of AI-using SMBs now build their own tools
Pax8's Q3 2026 SMB AI Pulse Report, based on a survey of 1,150 business leaders in the US, UK, Germany and Sweden, found that 67% of AI-using small and mid-sized businesses have built at least one AI solution in regular use, 19% are prototyping and only 13% rely solely on off-the-shelf tools; the US leads at 81%, followed by Sweden (76%), the UK (54%) and Germany (52%). In the past six months, 35% discovered unapproved "shadow AI" (Sweden 55%, US 42%, UK 24%, Germany 19%), and 49% of those paying for AI received a higher-than-expected bill (US 57%, Sweden 65%, Germany 33%). The report also says 46% are building or testing multi-step AI agents, while 55% of decision-makers spend three or more hours a week reviewing, editing or fact-checking AI-generated work.
SMBs are moving from buying AI tools to building their own workflows and agents, but review, security and cost visibility lag — a gap that is both a governance risk and a sales opening for vendors and IT service providers.