Two-thirds of U.S. small businesses say they use AI

Collin Lemmon · Charleston AI Playbook · Published October 16, 2026

News date October 2, 2026. This note explains that announcement. It does not add facts that are not in the sources below.

In plain English

On October 2, 2026, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Technology Engagement Center published the fifth edition of Empowering Small Business: The Impact of Technology on U.S. Small Business.

Teneo Research ran the survey. It covered 3,732 U.S. businesses with fewer than 250 employees. It was fielded online from July 23 to August 6, 2026.

The report says 66% of small businesses now use AI. That is up 8 points from 58% in 2025, and nearly three times the 23% share in 2023.

In the same section, the report lists 41% using a generative AI chatbot, 27% predictive AI tools, 26% AI coding tools, 24% an agentic AI tool, and 22% image-creation tools. The report lists those shares separately. It does not say they add up to 66%.

The report says primary uses center on understanding and engaging with customers. It also says one in four small businesses are now writing their own code using AI.

Small businesses using AI are at least 7 points more likely than businesses not using AI to report sales growth, profit growth, and workforce growth. That is what respondents said. It is not proof that AI caused the growth.

On jobs, the report’s key findings say 47% say AI is creating jobs today, while 6% say it is enabling headcount reductions. The same day, the Chamber’s Detroit release used a narrower line: four times as many small businesses report that AI is right now creating permanent jobs (25%) as report that it is allowing them to reduce headcount (6%). That release also says small businesses that use AI are 10% more likely to have added headcount in the past year than peers that are not using AI. The 47% line and the 25% line are both from the Chamber on October 2. They are not the same sentence.

Among businesses using AI, the report says 95% are working to upskill employees, including 47% providing on-the-job training. It says 78% of users say limiting access to AI would slow growth, and 75% say it would hurt their bottom line.

Asked what they expect to use in the future, the report lists agentic AI tools that automate work at 34%. That is a plan. Current use of an agentic tool is the 24% figure above.

This is a national survey. It is not a count of Charleston businesses. The Playbook’s note on the September 14, 2026 South Carolina labor post is a different survey, with a different question and a different time window.

What it means for your business

If you are not using AI, the report’s own number puts you with the businesses outside that 66%. The most common tool in that breakdown is a generative chatbot, listed at 41%. An agentic tool is listed at 24%.

The job figures are answers owners gave a survey. They are not a payroll audit. Read “47% say AI is creating jobs today” and “25% report permanent jobs” as two Chamber statements from the same day.

“At least 7 points more likely” to report growth is not the same thing as “AI added 7 points of sales.” Owners who try new tools may already be the ones whose sales are up.

How to use it

Treat 66% as a peer benchmark from this survey, not a quota. The businesses counted have fewer than 250 employees, and the questions were asked between July 23 and August 6, 2026.
If you do not use a chatbot yet, start there. In the report’s breakdown, a generative chatbot is listed ahead of coding tools and agent tools.
Pick one customer-facing task. The report says primary uses center on understanding and engaging with customers. Draft one promotion or one service reply with a chatbot you already have, using details you would put on your website. Do not paste a customer list.
If you already use a chatbot, do not buy an agent this week because 24% of businesses reported one. Write down one repeating task and the person who checks the result before a customer sees it.
Show one employee the task you tried. The report says 47% of AI-using businesses provide on-the-job training, inside the 95% that say they are upskilling staff.

Sources

Published by Charleston AI Playbook. Published October 16, 2026.

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