New Study Reveals How Small Businesses are Really Using AI on Social Media

Small businesses are increasingly embracing AI-powered content creation tools to try and increase their visibility.

Small businesses are increasingly embracing AI-powered content creation tools to try and increase their visibility, according to new research from Adobe’s Firefly team.

The study, which surveyed over 400 small business owners, found that social media content creation is now what most small businesses use AI for.

It shows that AI functions as an always-on creative assistant for content production, visual design and campaign optimisation. According to the research, 38% of small business owners now use AI for social media content creation, saving an estimated 175 hours and £4,500 annually (converted from US dollar estimates). A further 28% use AI for social advertising, saving around 67 hours per year.

For many small businesses, these efficiencies are helping level the playing field with larger brands and creator-led competitors that dominate social feeds through high-volume content strategies.

The study also found that 40% of respondents use AI specifically to improve the quality of their visuals and creative output, while nearly one in five are using it for brand identity and ideation tasks.

Beyond just efficiency, many businesses are seeing measurable audience growth from AI-assisted creative. More than half (52%) of respondents said AI-generated imagery had positively impacted their social engagement metrics. The biggest gains included:

• Increased likes or reactions (23%)
• More profile visits (20%)
• Higher reach and impressions (15%)

The platforms where AI-generated visuals delivered the strongest impact were Facebook (51%), Instagram (30%), and business websites or blogs (24%).

Notably, one in 10 business owners who used AI-generated visuals reported an increase in comments and audience discussion. For influencer marketers and creator economy observers, the findings reflect how brands are prioritising speed and consistency in content production, rather than traditional production-heavy workflows.

The implications are significant in the creator economy, beginning with a lowered barrier to entry. It allows creators and small businesses to increasingly behave like media brands, producing larger volumes of content for specific platforms without the need or budget for agencies or in-house creative teams.

At the same time, creators and influencers may face growing competition from AI-assisted small businesses capable of rapidly producing polished visuals, branded assets and social campaigns at scale.

Rather than replacing creators, however, AI may ultimately reshape collaboration opportunities. Small businesses using AI could become more active partners in influencer marketing, using AI to repurpose creator-made content.

Regardless of how AI is being used, it seems that it’s enhancing every part of creator economy workflows. However, we’re still yet to see the long-term impact on our industry as a whole, and its consumers.

By hello partner / the creatorfest collective

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