opportunities and challenges of using artificial intelligence in smes in iran

This paper presents a scoping review of opportunities and challenges of adopting artificial intelligence (ai) in iran’s small and medium‑sized enterprises (smes) and, in parallel, specifies a field protocol for the next phase of research. no interviews or surveys were conducted in the current version. instead, we synthesize iran‑specific and international literature and triangulate policy documents, official statistics, and peer‑reviewed research to surface recurring technical, operational, and regulatory patterns. the review suggests that, despite clear upside in process automation, predictive analytics, and customer personalization, smes face infrastructure constraints, financing frictions, skills shortages, and legal/data‑governance uncertainties. the contribution of this article is threefold: (1) harmonizing practical definitions of smes within the iranian context for research sampling; (2) consolidating evidence into an iran‑aware opportunity–challenge map; and (3) providing a ready‑to‑use semi‑structured interview protocol for future fieldwork. by clearly separating review findings from planned empirical work, we avoid unsupported generalizations while laying out an auditable path for subsequent data collection.