Current events and research on how small and mid-sized businesses are using AI. Every item below comes from a recognizable primary source and links straight to the original — no blogs, no commentary, nothing invented.
In a Goldman Sachs survey of small business owners, 76% said they currently use AI and 93% of those users reported a positive impact on their business. Only 14% said AI is fully integrated into core operations, and 73% said more training and resources would help them implement it successfully.
Read the sourceGoldman Sachs' analysis of its small business survey found 84% of AI-using small businesses cite increased efficiency and productivity as the primary benefit, while support and implementation help remain the biggest barriers to going further.
Read the sourceCensus Bureau BTOS data shows AI use by U.S. businesses has grown since December, with firms of at least 20 employees the heaviest users and adoption varying widely by sector. BTOS provides a biweekly, nationally representative read on AI implementation.
Read the sourceUsing the 2026 AI supplement to the Business Trends and Outlook Survey, Census researchers map AI diffusion down to the business function and worker task level — useful for identifying which specific jobs inside a small business are realistic first candidates for automation.
Read the sourceGoldman Sachs Research's AI adoption tracker put U.S. business AI adoption at 19.8% as of April 2026, alongside continued growth in AI-related investment now standing at roughly $360bn (1.1% of GDP) in the national accounts.
Read the sourceA Federal Reserve note compares three publicly available surveys of AI adoption to explain why headline adoption rates differ so much, and what each measure does and does not capture about business use.
Read the sourceSalesforce's SMB Trends Report surveys small and medium business leaders on technology investment priorities, and documents how AI agents are being used to handle customer outreach and back-office work with limited headcount.
Read the sourceThe Federal Reserve Banks' 2026 Firms in Focus chartbooks break down small business conditions, financing, and technology use by firm characteristics — a primary data baseline for benchmarking your own operation.
Read the sourceNew findings are held in a review queue and published here only after they have been vetted and approved.