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INTERACTIVE DASHBOARD
INTERACTIVE DATA DASHBOARD

AI Adoption by Small Businesses

From published 2026 research. Census, Intuit, Goldman Sachs, U.S. Chamber, and Oaken AI data, reconciled into one view.

10 data sourcesOriginal survey launches Oct 2026Updated quarterly
Showing data for: All Industries, All Sizes
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Adoption Rate
0%
of small businesses use AI regularly
Hours Saved
0hrs/wk
per AI-using worker on average
Revenue Gain
0%
of AI users saw revenue increases
Positive Impact
0%
of adopters say AI helps operations
Top Use Cases · % of AI-using SMBs
Marketing & Content
68%
Customer Service
52%
Bookkeeping & Finance
38%
Operations & Admin
34%
Sales & CRM
29%
Key Barriers to Adoption
1
Don't know where to start
50%+
2
Data privacy concerns
~30%
3
Fear of errors / hallucinations
~24%
Headline Findings
F-01

Adoption is real but uneven.

41% of small businesses use AI regularly, but the gap between sectors is wide. Professional services lead; trades lag.

41% adoption · range 22-61%
F-02

AI pays back in time, not just money.

The average small business worker saves 5.6 hours per week. That's about a working day back every two weeks.

5.6 hrs/wk saved
F-03

The biggest barrier isn't fear. It's not knowing where to start.

Over half of surveyed owners cite "not knowing where to start" as their top blocker, ahead of data privacy concerns and fear of errors.

50%+ cite "don't know where to start"
F-04

Revenue gains are reported but self-reported.

43% of AI-using small businesses report revenue increases. We treat self-reported ROI with care; the methodology page explains why.

43-91% report gains