Adoption of artificial intelligence tools is expanding across American businesses, but usage remains uneven and largely concentrated in a limited set of industries, according to data cited by Wolfe Research.
Two data sources referenced show markedly different pictures of how pervasive AI is. The U.S. Census Bureau Business Trends and Outlook Survey finds that 19% of firms report using AI in the production of goods and services. By contrast, Ramp, which measures real-time spending on AI vendors, reports that roughly half of firms are paying for AI tools.
The divergence reflects differences in measurement and scope. The Census Bureau questionnaire is a broad, self-reported snapshot of the U.S. business population that specifically asks about use of AI in producing goods and services. Ramp’s approach records actual vendor spending in real time, capturing paid subscriptions and other commercial engagements with AI providers - a methodology that tends to overrepresent more technology-forward companies.
Sector concentration is a clear theme in the findings. Usage rates are strongest in technology services, and securities and financial investments sit near the top of the list, second to tech. Beyond those areas the level of adoption declines sharply, with the majority of industries showing relatively limited deployment of AI in production.
Within the paid-adoption data Ramp collects, deployment has climbed quickly. OpenAI is identified as the leading provider, while Anthropic has grown rapidly over the past year to become the number two provider by adoption. Other firms such as Google are reported to have a more modest footprint in this dataset.
On labor market effects, Wolfe Research projects average hiring of about 70,000 jobs this year related to the trends under discussion. At the same time the firm does not anticipate a widespread, AI-driven wave of layoffs in 2026.
These data points point to an economy where AI momentum exists but is far from uniform, and where measurement choices materially affect the apparent scale of adoption.