The U.S. Census Bureau reported that AI use among American businesses ranged between 17% and 20% from December 14, 2025 to May 3, 2026, based on its Business Trends and Outlook Survey. The survey is a biweekly, nationally representative view of AI implementation. Between 20% and 23% of businesses said they expected to use AI within the next six months.

Firm size shaped the results. Of firms with at least 250 employees, 37% reported using AI in their business operations. In the data collection period ending May 3, 2026, 32% of firms with 100 to 249 employees said they used AI. Between December 2025 and May 2026, AI use rose among firms with at least 20 employees and showed no significant change among firms with fewer than 20 employees. Fewer than 20% of firms with four or fewer employees reported using AI.

Sector differences were also visible. As of May 3, 2026, AI use stood at 39.7% in the Information sector and 33.9% in Finance and Insurance, against a national rate of 19.8%. About 42% of Information businesses and roughly 39% of Finance and Insurance businesses expected to use AI over the next six months. In Retail Trade, around 14% of businesses used AI and about 17% expected to.

The Census Bureau revised the survey wording in November 2025 to ask about AI use in any business function, replacing the earlier phrasing about producing goods or services. The second AI supplement, which began collecting data on November 17, 2025, covers 15 business functions including finance, human resources, customer service, marketing, information technology and research and development.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau - https://census.gov/library/stories/2026/05/ai-use-businesses.html