Small Business Study Reveals Accelerating AI Adoption

Small businesses are accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, with two-thirds (66%) now using AI, a 10-point increase from the May 2025 Trendex, according to American Express’ latest Amex Trendex: Small Business Edition.

“Small businesses are increasingly embracing AI as a powerful driver of growth and innovation,” says Ro Gutierrez, SVP and head of small business products at American Express. “The key to ongoing success will be identifying practical applications that create meaningful results for their teams, customers, and communities.”

Key takeaways:

·        Over nine in 10 (91%) small businesses say that AI helps them make more confident decisions for their business, and 89% say that AI has helped them organize their data and insights so they can focus on strategy and execution.

·        88% admit that they are still learning how to use AI effectively.

·        Nearly three-quarters (74%) of small businesses using AI say that they see a positive ROI from their investments in the technology.

• Small businesses reported employee productivity (51%) and reduced errors (48%) as areas where they see the greatest return on their investment in AI.
• Over six in 10 (64%) small businesses report using AI-powered chat bots for customer service, and half (32%) say that chat bots have increased customer service satisfaction for their business.
• 81% of small businesses who use AI say they wish their employees were more skilled in using it.
• Nearly one-third (31%) are investing in resources like classes and training to help improve their employees’ AI skills, and of those who are not currently investing in those resources for their employees, 36% plan to do so in the future.
• 72% of Gen-Z and Millennial respondents say that their business is currently using AI, compared to just 59% of Gen-X and Baby Boomer respondents.
• 40% of Gen-X and Baby Boomers who already use AI say that they started using it in the past year. By contrast, just 29% of Millennials and Gen-Z who already use AI started using it in the past year.
• 71% of Millennial and Gen-Z respondents say they’ve seen an increase in business growth since using AI, compared to 43% of Gen-X and Baby Boomer respondents.
• 64% of Gen-Z and Millennial respondents said that it’s important that new employees have experience with AI tools or programs, compared to 46% of Gen-X and Baby Boomers.
• 33% of surveyed small businesses say that their business does not currently use AI.
• Over six in 10 (61%) of small businesses not using AI agree that AI tools are too expensive for their business. Others reported that AI wouldn’t be helpful to their business (35%), expressed concerns over security (23%), or said that they don’t trust it to be accurate (21%).