AI-SME Readiness in ASEAN: A Coupling Coordination Analysis of Digital Capacity and Entrepreneurial Support Systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24191/aej.v12i2.14087Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, SME Readiness, Coupling Coordination Degree Model, Digital Transformation, ASEAN, Entrepreneurial EcosystemAbstract
Artificial intelligence has become central to enterprise upgrading and regional digital integration, yet its adoption among small and medium-sized enterprises depends on more than digital infrastructure alone. This study assesses AI-SME readiness across ten ASEAN economies by examining the coordination between digital and technology capacity U₁ and SME entrepreneurial support capacity U₂. Using country-level indicators from the SME Policy Index: ASEAN 2024, the study constructs two analytical subsystems and applies a Coupling Coordination Degree Model to identify each economy’s readiness position. A support-gap measure U₁ − U₂ is further used to distinguish readiness level from readiness balance. The results reveal a clear coordination hierarchy: Singapore and Malaysia occupy the regional frontier, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines form a high-coordination group, Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam appear as transitional cases, while Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and Myanmar show weaker subsystem coordination. The support-gap diagnosis further shows that similar readiness levels may conceal different bottlenecks. Some economies require stronger SME support systems, while others require deeper technological absorption among ordinary firms. The study contributes a macro-diagnostic framework for assessing AI-SME readiness and proposes differentiated policy pathways for ASEAN economies.
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