Small business owners benefit from using tech and AI, an October 2026 U.S. Chamber of Commerce report says
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Contrary to the fears of many, the rapid and growing adoption and deployment of technology, and particularly AI, by U.S. small businesses is not killing businesses and costing jobs, but rather fueling a boom in hiring and growth, a new report says.
On Oct. 2, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released its fifth annual Empowering Small Business report, tracking the role and use of technology and artificial intelligence tools in American small business.
The Chamber released the report as part of its continuing national Free Enterprise Express Opportunity Tour, designed to highlight the key roles of economic freedom and free enterprise have played in building America's economy and the roles they can play in maintaining a prosperous future.
In the new report from the Chamber's Technology Engagement Center, the findings show that technology has become a vital tool for American small businesses.
The survey reports almost all U.S. small businesses use at least one technology platform to aid their operations, while 41% report using at least six tech platforms in their businesses regularly. These "platforms" can include social media, search engines, financial management programs, and more.
But no technology has been embraced more rapidly in recent years than artificial intelligence.
The survey reveals 66 percent of U.S. small businesses report using AI, up eight percentage points from 2025 and up from only 23% using AI in 2023. The report indicates AI can include popular generative AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude; predictive AI tools for data analytics and other purposes; virtual assistants; AI agents; and generative AI coding tools, including Cursor, Replit, GitHib, Copilot and similar programs, among others.
"We are witnessing one of the fastest techonolgy adoption curves in modern business history," the Chamber said in its report.
But the adoption and deployment of AI is not harming job growth in the small business sector, the report indicated. Rather, small businesses are reporting the adoption of AI has made them "more likely to grow their sales, increase their profits, and expand their workforce," allowing them to be "better equipped to handle inflation, manage supply chains, and compete with far larger companies."
The survey further indicates small business owners are converting that competitive advantage into growth of their business and added jobs. The report indicates 47 percent of small business owners who are using AI reported they have added jobs, compared to 6% who "report headcount reductions."
The report indicated that technology-using businesses are about "10 points more likely than low-tech businesses to report growth in sales, profits, and employment."
"Far from eliminating jobs, AI is creating them," the report said.
The report noted that 95% of small business employers who use AI products reported using AI to assist with employee training and worker "upskilling."
And 84% of small business owners indicate they plan to "increase their use of technology over the next 2-3 years," the report said.However, the report indicated business owners worry about challenges that may be looming in coming years.
Notably, the report indicated concerns over a growing effort by state governments to impose restrictions and rules on business use of tech and AI. The report said owners are particularly concerned that a "patchwork" of state laws could create uneven business environments that could leave businesses guessing or facing the risk of lawsuits or state regulatory action over activities that are not prohibited by federal law or the laws in other states in which they operate.
The report indicated about 60% of small businesses worry about "increased litigation and compliance costs from a patchwork of state privacy and AI laws."
And 78% of small business owners who report using AI say they believe that limiting access to AI would "slow growth" or "hurt their bottom line."
“For small businesses, AI is creating opportunity and it’s exactly the kind of real-world progress the Free Enterprise Express Opportunity Tour is highlighting across the country," said Neil Bradley, Chamber executive vice president and Chief Policy Officer.
"Policymakers should take this evidence seriously and avoid restricting the tools that are helping Main Street businesses hire, compete and grow.”
"This data defies the headlines: AI is adding jobs, growing the economy, and creating more opportunities than ever for working Americans,” said Jordan Crenshaw, senior vice president of the Chamber’s TEC.
“Entrepreneurs who use AI are outperforming their peers who are not in hiring, sales, and profits. This report should reshape how we think about this technology and its role in American prosperity. Getting AI policy right means building a national framework that supports continued growth for those businesses while giving workers and the public the accountability they deserve."
