78%About 8 in 10of firms use AI, according to nearly 9,000 senior executives surveyed in the US and six other countries in summer 2026
78% of firms use AI, according to nearly 9,000 senior executives surveyed in the US and six other countries in summer 2026 (Summer 2026, National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER working papers)
StudyChecked at source, 23 Oct 2026All sizesGlobalAI · Adoption
78% of firms use AI, according to nearly 9,000 senior executives surveyed in the US and six other countries in summer 2026 (Summer 2026).
78%
the latest figure (Summer 2026)
Study
type of source
Why you can trust it. National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER working papers: study, experiment or academic paper. Nearly 9,000 CFOs, CEOs and senior executives in the US, UK, Germany, Australia, Canada, Mexico and South Africa.
National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER working papers
Source type
Study: Experiment or academic paper
What it measures
78% of firms use AI, according to nearly 9,000 senior executives surveyed in the US and six other countries in summer 2026
Data period
Summer 2026 (ends 31 Aug 2026)
Published by the source
1 Oct 2026
Who is counted
Nearly 9,000 CFOs, CEOs and senior executives in the US, UK, Germany, Australia, Canada, Mexico and South Africa.
In the source's words
First, 78% of firms use AI, with US firms expecting to spend $2,000 per employee on AI-related expenditures in 2026, implying around $300 billion in aggregate annual firm spending.
Checked at source
23 Oct 2026: Read on nber.org (w34836 "Firm Data on AI", issued February 2026, revised October 2026; day not given, first of month used) on 2026-10-23.
Reuse
Working paper; quote with credit. Working papers are not peer reviewed.
Next expected update
One-off (National Bureau of Economic Research, one-off)
No changes recorded yet. First checked at the source on 23 Oct 2026.
Cite this number
APA
National Bureau of Economic Research. (2026). 78% of firms use AI, according to nearly 9,000 senior executives surveyed in the US and six other countries in summer 2026. Via digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/ai/executives-firms-using-ai-nber
MLA
"78% of firms use AI, according to nearly 9,000 senior executives surveyed in the US and six other countries in summer 2026." National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER working papers, Summer 2026. digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/ai/executives-firms-using-ai-nber.
HTML link
<a href="https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/ai/executives-firms-using-ai-nber">78% of firms use AI, according to nearly 9,000 senior executives surveyed in the US and six other countries in summer 2026</a> (National Bureau of Economic Research, Summer 2026)
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FAQ
Questions about this number
What is the latest figure for adoption (Global)?
78% of firms use AI, according to nearly 9,000 senior executives surveyed in the US and six other countries in summer 2026, for Summer 2026, according to National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER working papers. We checked it at the source on 23 Oct 2026.
Related
More AI statistics
Official dataAll sizesUSA
24.6%
of US employer businesses used AI in a business function in the two weeks before the survey (5-18 Oct 2026)
Sample: About 1.2 million US employer businesses in six panels of about 200,000; each panel reports every 12 weeks. About 24,000 responses in the 5-18 Oct 2026 wave (Census response file URR.xlsx, 12% response rate).
of US employer businesses expect to use AI in a business function in the next six months (survey of 5-18 Oct 2026)
Sample: About 1.2 million US employer businesses in six panels of about 200,000; each panel reports every 12 weeks. About 24,000 responses in the 5-18 Oct 2026 wave (Census response file URR.xlsx, 12% response rate).
