Guwahati: Quantive Advisory LLP, a research-driven consulting and policy advisory firm, has released a new nationwide study titled “Mapping Generative AI Adoption Across India’s MSME Ecosystem.”
The report presents an evidence-based assessment of Generative AI (GenAI) adoption among 14,000 MSMEs across 26 Indian states, highlighting regional disparities and identifying structural barriers that continue to shape adoption outcomes.
The study reveals that while the Northeastern region accounted for a significant share of surveyed MSMEs due to state-level sampling coverage, actual GenAI adoption remains comparatively lower than in digitally mature states such as Delhi NCR, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
This disparity reflects persistent gaps in digital readiness, awareness, access to training, and ecosystem support, which continue to constrain responsible technology uptake across eastern, central, and north-eastern regions.
Across India, only 27% of MSMEs currently use Generative AI tools, indicating that adoption remains at an early stage. However, among adopters, usage is highly frequent and operationally critical, with most using GenAI daily or several times a week and many reporting severe disruption if access were lost.
GenAI use among MSMEs is currently concentrated in marketing and content creation, with limited penetration into analytics, automation, or decision-support functions—highlighting the need for capability-building and trust frameworks to enable deeper, higher-value adoption.
Non-adoption across MSMEs is driven less by lack of perceived value and more by capability gaps, limited technical knowledge, privacy and security concerns, and absence of structured guidance or training.
Encouragingly, both users and non-users across regions—including the North-East—show strong alignment in expecting government and industry support for AI adoption, indicating that the challenge is primarily one of enablement rather than demand.
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Priyanka Bose, Founder, Quantive Advisory LLP, said, “The North-East stands at a critical digital transition point. Our findings show strong interest and perceived value of Generative AI among MSMEs in the region, but adoption is constrained by awareness, skills, and trusted support systems. Targeted training, ecosystem partnerships, and region-sensitive policy interventions can unlock significant productivity and competitiveness gains for North-Eastern enterprises in the coming years.”
