AI adoption rate for large firms continues to trend down
U.S. Census Bureau data shows AI adoption among large firms has continued to decline after peaking in July 2025, while smallest firms keep growing
AI adoption among large enterprises has peaked and declined—suggesting the companies with the most resources are pulling back on AI usage.
The Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) tracks AI usage across 1.2 million U.S. businesses. We continued Apollo's initial analysis that first reported this trend in August, and the decline continued:
Findings
- Large enterprises (250+ employees) peaked in July 2025 at 13.4%, then dropped to 11.7% (a 13% decline)
- The adoption in every firm size category declined since July, except the smallest with 1-4 employees
- The smallest firms (1-4 employees) continued rising: 9.65% → 10.3%
What does it mean?
This 2-3 month decline breaks the steady growth pattern we've seen since late 2023—and it's happening among the firms with the most resources. We'll keep watching whether it continues.
About the data
Survey question:
In the last two weeks, did this business use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in producing goods or services? (Examples of AI: machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents, voice recognition, etc.)
Possible answers: Yes, No, I don't know. This analysis calculates the percentage of Yes responses across data from November 19, 2023 through September 10, 2025, using a rolling 6-survey (12-week) average to smooth fluctuations. Methodology based on Apollo's August analysis.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Business Trends and Outlook Survey, Employment Size Class dataset