AI adoption rises sharply among US small businesses, but technical expertise remains key challenge: Goldman Sachs

New Delhi: Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption among rural small business owners surged to 80% in 2026 from 47% in 2024 in US, however, a lack of technical expertise still continues to hinder deeper AI integration among rural users, according to a report by Goldman Sachs.

The report highlighted a sharp rise in AI adoption among graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme, with usage increasing from 56% in July 2024 to 77% in 2025 and further to 86% in 2026, indicating growing integration of AI into small business operations.

It further highlighted, 86% of AI-using small business owners rely on standalone generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, while 54% use AI features integrated into existing software, including QuickBooks AI Agents and Microsoft 365 Copilot.


However, the adoption of more advanced AI tools remains limited, with only 18% using agentic AI, 19% employing AI coding tools and 12% adopting custom-built solutions, indicating relatively low levels of deeper technological integration.

Additionally, "most small business owners who use AI do so regularly, with 63% using it daily, and at low cost-73% are either using free tools or spending less than $100 per month," it said.

Overall, "Access to education remains critical to helping rural small business owners fully realize the benefits of AI."

As per the report, the rural small business owners are "less likely than their non-rural counterparts to use it for customer relationship management (16% vs. 28%) even as other use cases are equally common between rural and non-rural alumni."

Further, rural business owners are less focused on using AI to target or reach customers or compete with larger businesses compared to their non-rural counterparts.

The report also highlighted differences in AI adoption across industries, with service-based businesses, which primarily provide expertise and labour, showing higher levels of adoption and integration than product-based businesses.

As per the survey, "service businesses are more likely to describe AI as fully integrated into their core operations and report higher rates of daily use," while product-based businesses, which sell physical or digital products, have a higher proportion of recent adopters who began using AI within the past 12 months.

The report further noted that service-based businesses adopted AI earlier and are integrating it more deeply into their operations, while product-based businesses are gradually catching up, focusing on areas where AI can address their most immediate operational needs.