Strategic Adoption of Artificial Intelligence for Cybersecurity in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises SMEs constitute the operational backbone of most Economies, yet they remain disproportionately exposed to Cyber threats owing to constrained budgets, limited technical expertise and weak governance structures. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a strategic instrument capable of strengthening threat detection, incident response and overall cyber-resilience among resource-constrained firms. This study examined the strategic adoption of AI for cybersecurity among SMEs, guided by the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework. Three objectives, three research questions and three corresponding hypotheses were formulated to investigate the technological, organisational and environmental determinants of AI-driven cybersecurity adoption among 240 purposively sampled SMEs. A descriptive survey design was adopted, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests of association at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings indicate that technological compatibility, management support and external regulatory pressure significantly influence the strategic adoption of AI for cybersecurity, while cost constraints and skills shortages remain the most persistent barriers to uptake. The study concludes that AI adoption for SME cybersecurity is not merely a technical undertaking but a strategic organisational decision requiring deliberate managerial commitment and policy support. Recommendations are proposed for SME operators, policymakers and institutions responsible for building digital and cybersecurity literacy.