{
  "name": "AI Adoption Statistics for 2026",
  "version": "2026-08-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "methodologyUrl": "https://cognautic.com/answers/ai-adoption-statistics#method",
  "records": [
    {
      "id": "census-btos-2026-current-use",
      "statistic": "U.S. businesses using AI to produce goods or services",
      "definition": "Share using AI to produce goods or services during the prior two weeks",
      "value": "17-20",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "All U.S. businesses represented by the Business Trends and Outlook Survey",
      "period": "December 2025-May 2026",
      "sample": "Nationally representative U.S. Census Bureau BTOS estimates",
      "sourceName": "U.S. Census Bureau",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2026/05/ai-use-businesses.html",
      "limitation": "Measures business use of AI in producing goods or services; it is narrower than surveys asking whether an organization uses any AI in any function.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "census-btos-2026-expected-use",
      "statistic": "U.S. businesses expecting to use AI within six months",
      "definition": "Share expecting to use AI to produce goods or services during the next six months",
      "value": "20-23",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "All U.S. businesses represented by BTOS",
      "period": "December 2025-May 2026",
      "sample": "Nationally representative U.S. Census Bureau BTOS estimates",
      "sourceName": "U.S. Census Bureau",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2026/05/ai-use-businesses.html",
      "limitation": "An expectation is not observed adoption and may not become implemented use.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "census-btos-2026-large-firms",
      "statistic": "Businesses with at least 250 employees using AI",
      "definition": "Share of businesses in this employment-size group using AI to produce goods or services",
      "value": "37",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "U.S. businesses with 250 or more employees",
      "period": "May 2026 report",
      "sample": "U.S. Census Bureau BTOS estimates by employment size",
      "sourceName": "U.S. Census Bureau",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2026/05/ai-use-businesses.html",
      "limitation": "Size-group estimate; it should not be applied to small businesses or employment-weighted adoption.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "census-btos-2026-medium-firms",
      "statistic": "Businesses with 100-249 employees using AI",
      "definition": "Share of businesses in this employment-size group using AI to produce goods or services",
      "value": "32",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "U.S. businesses with 100-249 employees",
      "period": "May 2026 report",
      "sample": "U.S. Census Bureau BTOS estimates by employment size",
      "sourceName": "U.S. Census Bureau",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2026/05/ai-use-businesses.html",
      "limitation": "Size-group estimate; it should not be applied to other employer-size categories.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "census-working-paper-2026-employment-weighted",
      "statistic": "Employment-weighted share of firms using AI",
      "definition": "AI adoption rate weighted by each responding firm's employment",
      "value": "32",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "U.S. employment represented by BTOS respondents",
      "period": "November 2025-January 2026",
      "sample": "U.S. Census Bureau working-paper analysis of BTOS",
      "sourceName": "U.S. Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2026/adrm/CES-WP-26-25.html",
      "limitation": "Employment weighting gives large employers more influence and is not comparable to the unweighted share of firms.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "census-working-paper-2026-sales-marketing",
      "statistic": "AI adopters using AI in sales or marketing",
      "definition": "Share of AI-adopting businesses using AI in the sales or marketing function",
      "value": "52",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "AI-adopting U.S. businesses in the working-paper sample",
      "period": "November 2025-January 2026",
      "sample": "U.S. Census Bureau working-paper analysis of BTOS",
      "sourceName": "U.S. Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2026/adrm/CES-WP-26-25.html",
      "limitation": "The denominator is adopters, not all businesses; function categories may overlap.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "census-working-paper-2026-limited-functions",
      "statistic": "AI adopters using AI in three or fewer business functions",
      "definition": "Share of AI adopters deploying AI in no more than three business functions",
      "value": "57",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "AI-adopting U.S. businesses in the working-paper sample",
      "period": "November 2025-January 2026",
      "sample": "U.S. Census Bureau working-paper analysis of BTOS",
      "sourceName": "U.S. Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2026/adrm/CES-WP-26-25.html",
      "limitation": "Counts functions, not workflow depth, financial value, reliability, or production maturity.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "stanford-ai-index-2026-organizational-use",
      "statistic": "Surveyed organizations reporting AI use in at least one business function",
      "definition": "Any AI use in one or more business functions",
      "value": "88",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "Organizations represented in the underlying enterprise survey",
      "period": "2025",
      "sample": "Enterprise survey summarized by Stanford HAI's 2026 AI Index",
      "sourceName": "Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI",
      "sourceUrl": "https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2026-ai-index-report/economy",
      "limitation": "Organizational survey result, not a census of all firms; any-function use does not mean company-wide deployment.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "stanford-ai-index-2026-genai-use",
      "statistic": "Surveyed organizations using generative AI in at least one business function",
      "definition": "Generative AI use in one or more business functions",
      "value": "70",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "Organizations represented in the underlying enterprise survey",
      "period": "2025",
      "sample": "Enterprise survey summarized by Stanford HAI's 2026 AI Index",
      "sourceName": "Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI",
      "sourceUrl": "https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2026-ai-index-report/economy",
      "limitation": "Any-function adoption is a low threshold and does not measure scaled, controlled, or profitable use.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "mckinsey-2025-agent-scaling",
      "statistic": "Respondents reporting their organizations are scaling an agentic AI system",
      "definition": "Organization reported scaling at least one agentic AI system",
      "value": "23",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "Respondents to McKinsey's 2025 global AI survey",
      "period": "2025",
      "sample": "McKinsey global survey respondents",
      "sourceName": "McKinsey & Company",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai",
      "limitation": "Self-reported organizational status; scaling one system is not equivalent to broad agent deployment or verified business value.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "mckinsey-2025-agent-experimentation",
      "statistic": "Respondents reporting their organizations are experimenting with agentic AI",
      "definition": "Organization reported experimenting with one or more agentic AI systems",
      "value": "39",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "Respondents to McKinsey's 2025 global AI survey",
      "period": "2025",
      "sample": "McKinsey global survey respondents",
      "sourceName": "McKinsey & Company",
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai",
      "limitation": "Experimentation does not imply production release, business integration, reliability, or ROI.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "thryv-2026-smb-use",
      "statistic": "Surveyed small and medium business decision-makers reporting AI use",
      "definition": "Self-reported use of AI for any business purpose",
      "value": "66",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "U.S. small and medium business decision-makers",
      "period": "April 2026",
      "sample": "561 non-Thryv-customer SMB decision-makers",
      "sourceName": "Thryv Holdings",
      "sourceUrl": "https://investor.thryv.com/news/news-details/2026/AI-Adoption-Continues-to-Rise-but-70-Say-They-Need-More-Training-to-Use-It-Effectively/default.aspx",
      "limitation": "Vendor-sponsored self-report survey; broader question wording and sample design make it incomparable to Census production-use estimates.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "thryv-2026-training-gap",
      "statistic": "Surveyed SMB decision-makers saying they need more AI training",
      "definition": "Self-reported need for additional training to use AI effectively",
      "value": "70",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "U.S. small and medium business decision-makers",
      "period": "April 2026",
      "sample": "561 non-Thryv-customer SMB decision-makers",
      "sourceName": "Thryv Holdings",
      "sourceUrl": "https://investor.thryv.com/news/news-details/2026/AI-Adoption-Continues-to-Rise-but-70-Say-They-Need-More-Training-to-Use-It-Effectively/default.aspx",
      "limitation": "Self-reported training need; it does not identify which capabilities, workflows, or controls are missing.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "id": "thryv-2026-time-saved",
      "statistic": "Surveyed AI-using SMBs reporting that AI saves time",
      "definition": "Share of AI-using respondents reporting time savings from AI",
      "value": "92",
      "unit": "percent",
      "population": "AI-using respondents in Thryv's SMB survey",
      "period": "April 2026",
      "sample": "Subset of 561 surveyed non-Thryv-customer SMB decision-makers",
      "sourceName": "Thryv Holdings",
      "sourceUrl": "https://investor.thryv.com/news/news-details/2026/AI-Adoption-Continues-to-Rise-but-70-Say-They-Need-More-Training-to-Use-It-Effectively/default.aspx",
      "limitation": "Self-reported outcome among adopters; the release does not provide audited time logs or causal attribution.",
      "checkedAt": "2026-08-16"
    }
  ]
}