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Why the adoption numbers disagree

AI adoption is 18% or 90% depending on who you ask. Read these in order to see why.

Surveys count different things: any use, approved use, AI in core processes, or measured profit. They also ask different people. Start with the Federal Reserve's explainer, then compare the government counts with the executive surveys.

Share of companies at each stage of AI adoptionPercent of companies, by what each survey counted. Each tick is one report.
Tried itAny use of AI
18–90%
ApprovedSanctioned in a function
21–60%
In core workRunning in key processes
5–93%
Pays offMeasurable profit impact
5–44%
Source: 22 reports in the AI Unite library. Some values are derived (for example, 100% minus the share reporting no return); each report page explains how.

Reading list

  1. 01Federal Reserve · Apr 2026Monitoring AI Adoption in the U.S. Economy (FEDS Notes)About 78% of the labor force works at firms that have adopted AI (SBU, employment-weighted), and about 54% at firms using LLMs.
  2. 02Census Bureau · May 2026Large Firms With at Least 20 Employees Biggest AI Users (America Counts story, Business Trends and Outlook Survey)37% of firms with 250+ employees and 32% of firms with 100–249 employees reported using AI.
  3. 03Minneapolis Fed · May 2026AI adoption in business grows steadily but unevenlyNationally, AI use in producing goods or services was about 10% in late 2025; under the broader question it reached 20% in early 2026.
  4. 04McKinsey · Nov 2025The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformationNearly two-thirds say their organizations have not yet begun scaling AI across the enterprise.
  5. 05NCMM · Jul 2026Mid-Year 2026 Middle Market IndicatorYear-over-year revenue growth held at 11% while employment growth slowed to 7.2%, its lowest post-pandemic level.
  6. 06RSM · Jul 2026RSM Middle Market AI Survey 2026: U.S. and Canada86% have partially or fully integrated AI into operations, and 97% say they are satisfied with the business value AI delivers.
  7. 07Gartner · Sep 2026Gartner Survey Finds Only 22% of Organizations Have Successfully Scaled AI Across Multiple Business Units (press release)85% of functional leaders plan to increase AI spending in 2026 after allocating an average 12% of functional budgets to AI in 2025.
  8. 08McKinsey · Aug 2026The state of AI in 2026: On the road to ROI80% say AI improved their individual productivity, yet only about 6% are AI high performers, flat since 2025.
  9. 09PwC · Jan 202629th Annual Global CEO Survey: Leading through uncertainty in the age of AIOnly 12% of CEOs report AI delivered both revenue gains and cost reductions.
  10. 10BCG · Sep 2025The Widening AI Value Gap: Build for the Future 2025Only 5% of companies are 'future-built,' achieving AI value at scale; 35% are scaling with some returns.
  11. 11MIT NANDA · Jul 2025The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025Just 5% of integrated AI pilots are extracting millions in value; most show no measurable P&L impact.

Other collections

17 reportsBeyond usage: what AI actually doesExperiments, payroll data and spending records that measure outcomes, not whether people say they use AI.12 reportsAI in professional servicesUtilization, pricing and adoption across consulting, agencies, accounting, law and engineering.7 reportsMid-market AI: what the data saysThe few surveys that include companies with $10M–$1B in revenue.4 reportsMinnesota AILocal data on AI adoption and jobs in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.14 reportsEvergreen playbooksGuides and frameworks without survey data behind them. Useful when you are ready to act.