{"id":15871,"date":"2026-05-12T08:23:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intuitblog.com\/?p=15871"},"modified":"2026-05-12T08:35:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:35:23","slug":"ai-impact-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intuit.com\/blog\/global-stories\/ai-impact-report\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 AI Impact Report: Mapping Adoption, Use, and Impact Across Small to Midsize Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The 2026 Intuit QuickBooks AI Impact Report is the most comprehensive look at how AI is changing the way small and midsize businesses work and grow. Get the full findings below. Just click to read.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Get the report<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Inside the 2026 AI Impact Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’re wondering where your business fits in the AI moment, whether you’re ahead, behind, or right on track, you’re not alone. The 2026 AI Impact Report<\/strong> pulls together survey responses from more than 34,000 small and midsize business owners and anonymized data from more than 5.3 million QuickBooks businesses across the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are six findings worth knowing before you dig in. Scroll on to explore the data behind each one, and get the full picture in the 2026 AI Impact Report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. AI use is now widespread<\/strong>
Roughly 7 in 10 businesses across the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia now use AI regularly, and daily use has more than doubled in some markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The results are real<\/strong>
Businesses using AI are more likely to report improvements than setbacks, including productivity gains, revenue lift, shorter workdays, and more hiring than cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Paid commitment tends to stick<\/strong>
In our sample, roughly 8 in 10 businesses that paid for AI in 2024 were still paying in 2025. Businesses that go deep on AI don\u2019t tend to walk away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Paid use has a clear profile<\/strong>
Newer businesses. Growth-focused leaders. Digital-first industries. The businesses paying to use AI share a recognizable profile, and some might surprise you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. The biggest barrier isn’t cost<\/strong>
Across countries, the top barriers cluster around privacy and security, fear of errors, and uncertainty about what AI can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Businesses know where AI belongs<\/strong>
Adoption is highest in marketing, admin, and customer service. It\u2019s lowest where human judgment matters most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to go deeper? Here’s what the data looks like up close.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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More than 3 in 4 small and midsize businesses in the US now use AI regularly <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When we began tracking AI use through quarterly surveys in July 2024, fewer than half of businesses in most countries used it regularly. By January 2026, that number had climbed sharply, and daily use had grown even faster. This includes any kind of AI use, from free tools and built-in features to dedicated paid subscriptions. The businesses leading that shift are reporting real results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • 77% <\/strong>of US businesses now use AI regularly, up from 48% in July 2024.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 78% <\/strong>of US businesses say AI has improved their productivity, up from 46% in July 2024.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 43%  <\/strong>of US businesses say AI has increased their revenue. Only 2% say it\u2019s gone the other way.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 4x <\/strong>as many US businesses say AI has increased hiring than reduced it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \"Two<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    “AI allows a small team to operate with the maturity, governance, and delivery capability of a much larger organisation.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2014 Andrew Price, CEO, Synapx<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Think you know how small businesses are using AI? Take the quiz.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    We took the latest findings from the 2026 AI Impact Report to the streets, quizzing real business owners on what the data actually shows. How many did they get right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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