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Which Industries Are Actually Using AI in 2026?

Explore AI adoption by industry, company size, and business function using U.S. Census Bureau data.

Explore by industryView methodologyDownload data
Data through 2026-05-03 · Updated when new Census BTOS data is available
19.8%
Businesses currently using AI
22.0%
Expecting to use AI in 6 months
+2.2 pts
Adoption gap (expected − current)

Based on the latest available Census BTOS release (period ending 2026-05-03). The adoption gap is a survey-based expectation, not a forecast.

Key findings

  • Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. businesses (19.8%) currently use AI
  • The Information sector leads at 39.7%, more than double the national rate
  • Finance & Insurance shows the strongest growth momentum (+5.1 pts)
  • Firms with 250+ employees are 2x as likely to use AI as those with 1–4 employees

AI adoption by industry

Compare your industry

Information

Information businesses are among the highest AI adopters. The priority is governance and data handling, not catching up.

High adoptionModerate momentum
39.7%
Current AI use
42.0%
Expected in 6 mo
19.8%
National avg
Your industry
39.7%
National
19.8%

19.9 pts above national average

Common AI use cases

Content and code generationCustomer support automationData analysis and reporting

Readiness checklist

  • Review SharePoint / Google Drive permissions before sharing data with AI tools
  • Set an AI acceptable-use policy for employees
  • Confirm multi-factor authentication is on for all accounts
  • Standardize on a password manager
  • Classify which business data is sensitive
  • Define which AI tools are approved
  • Train staff on phishing and AI-generated scams
  • Check endpoint protection and logging coverage
  • Decide what data must never be pasted into AI tools

iFeelTech can review access controls and AI usage policies before you scale rollout.

Get in touch

Related resources

Microsoft 365 plan comparisonGoogle Workspace Gemini featuresCloud servicesBusiness Security ScoreCybersecurity software guidePhishing response guideCybersecurity services

Readiness guidance is based on iFeelTech's SMB IT consulting experience and is not part of the Census dataset.

AI use by company size

Larger firms report higher AI adoption. Use rose among firms with 20+ employees but did not change significantly for firms under 20.

1–4 employees18.0% / 20.0% expected
5–19 employees22.0% / 25.0% expected
20–99 employees27.0% / 31.0% expected
100–249 employees32.0% / 36.0% expected
250+ employees37.0% / 41.0% expected
Current Expected National avg (19.8%)

Where businesses use AI

Share of AI-using firms by business function. Most AI users (57%) apply it in three or fewer functions.

Marketing & sales52.0%
Strategy & planning45.0%
IT & technical work38.0%
Customer support30.0%
Finance & reporting24.0%
HR & hiring18.0%
R&D / product work16.0%
Legal & compliance12.0%

Denominator: share of firms that currently use AI. Source: Census BTOS supplement (CES-WP-26-25).

SMB AI readiness checklist

Review these before rolling out AI tools across your team.

  1. 1Review SharePoint / Google Drive permissions before sharing data with AI tools
  2. 2Set an AI acceptable-use policy for employees
  3. 3Confirm multi-factor authentication is on for all accounts
  4. 4Standardize on a password manager
  5. 5Classify which business data is sensitive
  6. 6Define which AI tools are approved
  7. 7Train staff on phishing and AI-generated scams
  8. 8Check endpoint protection and logging coverage
  9. 9Decide what data must never be pasted into AI tools

Readiness guidance is based on iFeelTech's SMB IT consulting experience and is not part of the Census dataset.

Get an AI readiness review Review your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace setup

Preparing your business for AI tools?

iFeelTech can review your cloud access, security settings, and employee workflows before rollout.

Get an AI readiness review Download the data (CSV)
Methodology

How This Index Works

Official data for the numbers, iFeelTech experience for the guidance.

Source. U.S. Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), an experimental, nationally representative survey of U.S. employer businesses collected every two weeks.

Latest data period. 2026-05-03. Current AI use is the share of businesses reporting AI use in the past two weeks. Expected AI use is the share expecting to use AI in the next six months.

Question wording change. On November 17, 2025 the core AI question changed from AI use “in producing goods or services” to AI use “in any business function.” Trends are not comparable across that change without noting it.

Industry ranking. Adoption level is a percentile rank across industries (top 25% = High, middle 50% = Moderate, bottom 25% = Lower). Suppressed or low-quality cells are excluded from ranking, never interpolated.

Readiness guidance is iFeelTech editorial advice based on SMB IT consulting experience and is not part of the Census dataset. Source pages: BTOS program, AI Use at U.S. Businesses, BTOS experimental data product, Working paper CES-WP-26-25.

Cite this page

iFeelTech. (2026). Business AI Adoption Index: Which industries are using AI in 2026? Based on U.S. Census Bureau BTOS data (period ending 2026-05-03). https://ifeeltech.com/tools/business-ai-adoption-index

Common Questions

Index FAQ

Where does the data come from?
The numbers come from the U.S. Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), a biweekly, nationally representative survey of U.S. employer businesses. iFeelTech adds the readiness guidance and interpretation; the percentages are Census data.
What counts as "using AI"?
BTOS asks whether a business used AI in the past two weeks. In November 2025 the question changed from AI use "in producing goods or services" to AI use "in any business function," so trends should not be compared across that change without noting it.
What is the "adoption gap"?
It is the expected AI use over the next six months minus current AI use. It reflects what businesses said they expect, not a forecast or prediction by iFeelTech.
How current is the data?
The index reflects the latest available BTOS release. The "last updated" date on the page shows the survey period covered.
Is the readiness checklist part of the Census data?
No. The readiness checklist and recommendations are iFeelTech editorial guidance based on SMB IT consulting experience, not part of the Census dataset.
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