Artificial intelligence in the context of small and medium enterprises: Scientific mapping and research perspectives

Abstract

Artificial intelligence now goes beyond being a simple technical tool to establish itself as an essential engine of innovation and survival for businesses. Given this reality, our study proposes a clear bibliometric analysis to understand the integration of this technology specifically within small and medium-sized enterprises. By extracting data from the Scopus database from 1992 to 2024, our article uses the VOSviewer software to map the scientific literature and identify its main trends. The analysis of the publications shows a research field organized around three fundamental themes, namely machine learning, internal process optimization and global digital transformation. Our research also identifies the central authors who shaped this field, such as J. Li and J. Zhao. By synthesizing these dynamics, our study offers an updated understanding of current knowledge and lays solid foundations to guide future work. Our article thus confirms that artificial intelligence constitutes a true pillar of differentiation and sustainable performance. Although our methodology has limitations related to the quantitative approach and the exclusive use of Scopus, it provides a useful theoretical clarification. We ultimately provide a reference framework that calls for new empirical and qualitative investigations, which are essential steps to understand the concrete reality of the field and the specific challenges faced by SMEs.