AI Adoption Rate Across US Companies

Dimon: hyperscaler AI capex $725B in 2026, up from $450B in 2025

Huge increase in AI-driven capital spending and construction by the five hyperscalers. In 2025, this number was $450 billion, and in 2026, it will be approximately $725 billion.

NYT/Census: ~1 in 5 firms used AI in last 2 weeks; 2x in some industries

Already, nearly one in five companies reports having used A.I. in the last two weeks, according to data from the Census Bureau, and in some industries the rate is twice as high.

Fed (FEDS Note): >20% of US firms expect to use AI in H1 2026

Adoption stood at about 18 percent of firms at the end of 2025. Prior to the question revision, the adoption rate had grown by 68 percent (3.9 percentage points) over the prior year but decelerated in Q2 2025. Over 20 percent of firms expect to use AI in the first half of 2026.

Stanford DEL: Only 20% of enterprise AI cases used agentic workflows

Agentic implementations are currently a minority at 20% of cases.

INSEAD/HBS RCT: mapping problem solved, AI use cases +44% (n=515)

Treated firms discover 2.7 additional AI use cases (a 44% increase), concentrated in product development and strategy. The binding constraint is not access to the technology but the ability to discover where they create value and how to reorganize the firm accordingly.

Yale (Restrepo): AI firm adoption still relatively low; firms experimenting

When you look at the data, adoption of AI by firms is still relatively low. Right now I would describe the labor market as more of a wait-and-see environment.

Fed/Duke CFO Survey: 58.5% invested in AI (2025); 85.4% expect to in 2026

58.5% of ~750 surveyed firms invested in AI in 2025; 85.4% expect to invest in 2026. Many smaller firms only beginning to invest in 2026. Note: CFO Survey uses broader 'invested in AI' definition vs Census BTOS 'using AI in production', explaining higher rate.

NBER via BizJournals: 70% of 6,000 intl. execs report using AI

more than 71% said they have adopted AI tools either 'somewhat' or 'extensively,' while just under 20% said they were considering it either for this year or later, and only 9% said they had no plans to adopt the technology.

PIIE/Kolko: <1/5 of firms using AI; even fewer for production (Census BTOS)

Current data from the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey shows that fewer than one-fifth of firms are using AI in any capacity, and even fewer are using AI directly for producing goods and services.

ECB/SAFE: 66% of European firms adopted AI (European scope, not US Census)

Two-thirds of the 3,500 euro-area firms surveyed reported that their employees use AI in their jobs (ECB SAFE survey, Q4 2025). Note: European firms; not directly comparable to US Census BTOS figures.

Citadel: AI capex ~$650B in 2026, ~$2T over 3 years

AI capex – roughly $650bn this year and potentially ~$2tn over three years – materially alters the equilibrium.

NBER/Bick et al.: Firm encouragement explains 80% of US-EU adoption gap

Firm encouragement alone accounts for 80% of the overall average gap.

KPMG: 54% of orgs deploying AI agents, Q1 2026

Today, more than half of organizations are actively deploying AI agents.

In the last two weeks, did this business use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in any of its business functions? Yes: 17.5%, No: 73.1%, Do not know: 9.4% (Cycle 202604, ref period Jan 26–Feb 8, 2026). First biweekly reading (Cycle 202524, Nov 2025): Yes: 17.3%.

CIO/LinkedIn: AI literacy job postings growing 70%+ year over year

80% of respondents in the 2025 Indeed Workforce Insights Report report they save at least one hour per day using generative AI. Job postings that require AI literacy skills are growing at a rate of more than 70% year over year.

NBER/Bloom: 78% of US firms use AI (executive survey of ~6K across 4 countries)

69% of firms across US, UK, Germany, and Australia currently use some AI technology (US: 78%). LLM text generation most common (41%). Expected to rise to 75% in 3 years. Larger, more productive, higher-paying firms more likely to adopt.

ICLE review: 35.9% of workers use gen AI; adoption accelerating

35.9% of US workers used generative AI by December 2025; adoption is accelerating but remains unevenly distributed across industries and skill levels.

Lightcast: Hospitality (0.4%) and healthcare (0.7%) have lowest AI adoption

The United States has seen 50% growth in AI-related postings over the past year, with AI now appearing in 2.5% of all job postings.

NBER: Multi-country firm survey finds AI boosting sales/employee but mixed employment

Synthesizes firm-level survey data from the US, UK, Germany, and Australia measuring AI's realized and expected impacts on sales per employee and employment. Data collected Feb-Apr 2025 and Nov 2025-Jan 2026.

OECD: 20.2% of firms used AI in 2025, more than doubled from 8.7% in 2023

36.8% of individuals across OECD used generative AI in 2025. 20.2% of firms used AI in 2025 (up from 8.7% in 2023). 41.1% of employed individuals used generative AI. 52.0% of large firms vs 17.4% small.

Indeed: AI Tracker hit 4.2% of postings; AI postings 134% above 2020 baseline

The Indeed AI Tracker reached a high of 4.2% in December 2025...the number of postings mentioning AI measured 134% above February 2020 levels

Anthropic: 49% of jobs use AI for ≥25% of tasks; productivity +1.0-1.8pp

49% of jobs now use AI for at least 25% of their tasks (up from 36% in early 2025); widespread adoption could boost US labor productivity by 1.0-1.8 percentage points annually.

Deloitte: 34% of firms using AI for deep business transformation (n=3,235)

Nearly 3 in 4 (74%) companies plan to deploy agentic AI within two years. 34% are already starting to use AI to deeply transform their businesses—creating new products and services, reinventing core processes, or even fundamentally changing their business models.

Deloitte: 71% of orgs use GenAI in at least one function; 92% plan investment

71% of organizations regularly use generative AI in at least one business function (up from 65% in early 2024). 92% plan to invest in generative AI over next three years. 66% report productivity gains.

Hartley: 36% worker-level AI adoption (broader definition than Census BTOS firm-level measure)

35.9% of US workers used generative AI by December 2025. Adoption concentrated among younger, college-educated, higher-earning employees.

Chen & Stratton: Only ~50% of engineers adopted AI tools 18mo after firm rollout

Even 18 months after firm-level adoption, only about half of engineers had begun using the tools. Individual take-up was not universal.

Census BTOS: AI adoption 78.4% annualized growth; 80.9% non-adopters cite inapplicability

AI adoption for production rose from 4.6% (early 2024) to 10% (Sep 2025). Broader measure (any business function): 17.3% (Nov 2025). 78.4% annualized growth rate. 80.9% of non-adopters cite inapplicability.

Gallup: 46% of US workers used AI at work in Q4 2025

46% of US workers reported using AI tools at work in Q4 2025, up from 33% in Q1 2025. Adoption driven by white-collar professional and technical roles.

Stanford AI Index: 78% using AI; enterprise AI spending +45% YoY

78% of organizations report using AI in at least one business function. Enterprise AI spending grew 45% YoY globally.

OECD: Only 29% of SMEs use genAI in core activities

AI adoption in core business functions – related to the production of goods and services – ranges from 1.9% in Japan to 6.1% in the United States in 2024. Among SMEs using generative AI, only 29% report using it in their core activities.

Microsoft: 75% of knowledge workers use AI tools

75% of knowledge workers now use AI tools. Adoption in enterprises with 500+ employees reached 60%, up from 40% a year prior.

McKinsey: 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function

32% of companies expect AI to reduce workforce by 3%+ within next year. Median 17% of respondents report workforce declines within functions from AI use. 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function.

McKinsey Nov 2025: 88% use AI; gen AI at 71%; but only 7% fully scaled

88% of organizations use AI in ≥1 function (up from 78%). Gen AI adoption at 71%. But only 7% fully scaled, and just 6% report EBIT impact ≥5%. 62% experimenting with AI agents.

Atlassian: 96% of orgs not seeing dramatic AI improvements; only 4% report true ROI

Survey of 180 Fortune 100 executives and 12,000 knowledge workers. 96% of organizations not seeing dramatic improvements in efficiency, innovation, or work quality from AI. Costing Fortune 500 ~$98B/year in lost returns. Workers report feeling 33% more productive individually, but organizational metrics flat.

Philadelphia Fed: ~50% of surveyed Third District firms using generative AI

About half of respondent firms in the Philadelphia Fed's Third District are using generative AI. Survey conducted late October 2025.

HBR: 40% received AI workslop; 96% not seeing productivity gains

Survey of 1,150 US workers: 40% received AI-generated 'workslop' in the past month; each instance cost ~2 hours to deal with. 18% of AI users admitted sending low-quality AI output. Estimated cost: $186/worker/month or ~$9M/year for a 10,000-person org.

Census Bureau rigorous measure finds 9.7% of firms actively using AI, while broader surveys report 78%. Adoption gap driven by definitional differences in what counts as AI use.

Anthropic: Only 25% of Info sector using AI; adoption uneven

Only ~25% of Information sector businesses using AI; ~2.5% in Accommodation/Food — adoption patterns driven more by workforce composition than income.

Penn Wharton: 40% of exposed jobs replaceable; 25% labor savings

In about 40% of employment in exposed occupations, at least 50% of tasks will be replaceable. Average labor-cost savings ~25% from current tools, potentially 40% as systems improve.

NBER/Bick et al.: 37.4% of workers use AI (worker-level, not firm-level Census measure)

37.4% of US workers used AI on the job in the past week. Adoption highest among college-educated (52%) and workers earning $100K+ (58%). Survey of 25,000 workers.

US firm AI usage in production reached 10.2%, with 14.8% in testing. Large firms (500+ employees) at 28%. Adoption accelerating across all sectors.

JP Morgan: <10% of firms using AI regularly; adoption by industry

Less than 10% of firms using AI regularly as of mid-2025 (BTOS data); ~20% adoption in professional, scientific, and technical industries.

Generative AI showing early productivity gains for software developers

Generative AI is showing early evidence of productivity gains for software developers

Microsoft WTI: 75% knowledge workers use AI; 78% bring own tools (n=31K, 31 countries)

75% of knowledge workers use AI at work; 78% bring own AI tools (n=31K, 31 countries).

McKinsey survey: 78% use AI in ≥1 function (Mar 2025)

AI is now a core part of business strategy for 78% of respondents. 65% report measurable revenue or cost impact from AI deployments.

PNAS: ChatGPT adoption unequal; women 16pp less likely to use

Half of workers in AI-exposed occupations have used ChatGPT; adoption unequal — women 16pp less likely, employer restrictions hinder broader use.

NY Fed: >50% of info/finance firms use AI; few report layoffs from AI adoption

Over 50% of information/finance firms use AI; few report layoffs from AI adoption.

CESifo/Menkhoff: RCT shows info about AI gains raises adoption (German firms)

RCT shows information about AI productivity gains increases adoption among German firms.

Hunt/Cockburn/Bessen: state borders explain 20% of AI adoption distance penalty

A commuting zone which is an additional 200 km from the closest AI hotspot has 17% lower growth in AI jobs' share of vacancies. 20% of the effect is explained by state borders.

Deloitte survey: 42% of enterprises in production

79% of enterprise leaders expect gen AI to transform their industry within 3 years. 42% have gen AI in production, up from 22% a year earlier.

Microsoft: 60K+ Azure AI customers, growing 60% YoY

Over 60,000 Azure AI customers by end of FY2024, growing nearly 60% YoY. Azure AI revenue reached a $13 billion annual run rate, growing 175% YoY.

Wharton/Korst: 72% enterprise leaders use AI weekly; 62% of companies actively use AI (n=800)

72% of enterprise leaders use AI weekly; 62% of companies actively use AI (n=800).

McKinsey 2024: 72% use AI in ≥1 function, up from 55%

72% of organizations surveyed now use AI in at least one function, up from 55% the prior year. Generative AI adoption doubled.

AI usage among US firms rose to 6.6%, with an additional 9.1% in testing. Information sector at 24%, finance/insurance at 15%.

ZEW: Skills shortage drives AI adoption; academic labor scarcity pushes firms to adopt (Germany)

Skills shortage has a positive and significant effect on AI adoption breadth and application areas (German Mannheim Innovation Panel).

Salesforce: Einstein platform serving 200B AI predictions daily

Salesforce Einstein platform serves over 200 billion AI predictions per day across Customer 360 applications. Einstein 1 platform enables AI-powered apps with low-code development and generative AI assistants.

JEMS/Census ABS: 5.8% of US firms used AI in production by 2017 (n=850K)

Just under 6% of firms nationwide used AI as of 2017. Yet most very large firms (over 5,000 employees) reported at least some AI use. Employment-weighted adoption was just over 18%. Based on the 2018 Annual Business Survey of 850,000 firms linked to the Longitudinal Business Database.

3.8% of US firms reported using AI in production. An additional 6.4% were in testing/pilot phase. Adoption highest in information (18%) and professional services (12%).

McKinsey: 55% of respondents use AI; 1/3 using gen AI regularly

One-third of respondents say their organizations are using gen AI regularly in at least one business function. AI adoption overall at 55% of survey respondents.