Majority of Small Businesses in All 50 States Are Embracing AI

TL;DR

• A majority of SMBs in every state report using AI in at least one workflow.
• Most common wins: faster content cycles, better targeting, and measurable time savings.
• Action: pick a pilot, baseline KPIs (response time, meetings, AOV), and scale iteratively.

📊 Highlights

• Adoption is broad‑based across all 50 states, spanning retail, services, and local manufacturers.
• Use cases cluster around marketing copy, customer support assistants, and analytics for decision making.
• Benefits include shorter cycle times, better lead qualification, and steadier posting cadence.
• Barriers include cost, skills, and data organization; firms that standardize prompts and KPIs progress faster.

🗣 Case study anecdote

An independent services business in the Midwest used AI to draft blog posts, schedule social captions, and triage email inquiries. The owner reports reclaiming several hours per week and a more consistent pipeline of qualified consultations.

🛠 Guidance for SMBs

• Identify 1–2 workflows with measurable outcomes (reply speed, qualified meetings, AOV). Write the KPI formula next to each.
• Create a weekly “AI hour” to draft content, review analytics, and adjust prompts. Track time saved explicitly.
• Centralize prompts/SOPs in a shared doc; review quality weekly and refine inputs.

📈 Lessons & metrics

• Coverage breadth: majority adoption in all 50 states (per Chamber survey summary).
• Time savings and faster iteration are the most consistently reported outcomes.
• Teams that track KPIs weekly see clearer ROI signals and faster scaling decisions.

🔗 Learn more

Read the full article: U.S. Chamber — AI across 50 states

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