Understanding AI Adoption Among Small Businesses in 2025
Revenued, a financial insights and growth tools provider, has recently released a comprehensive survey titled "AI Usage Among Small Businesses in 2025". This report delves into how small businesses across the United States are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their operations, improve efficiency, and navigate their financial landscapes.
The Survey's Background
Conducted early in 2025 and revisited in September, the survey included feedback from nearly 300 small business owners. Surprisingly, the data reveals a significant shift in just a few months; at the beginning of the year, 60% of respondents reported not using any AI tools. By fall, however, over 90% had integrated at least one form of AI into their business processes.
Key Findings
The survey highlights the sectors where AI is making its most notable impact. Marketing and content creation emerged as the foremost applications, with 66% of small business owners utilizing AI tools for drafting posts, creating ads, and designing visuals. Additionally, about one-third of businesses are employing AI for customer service, utilizing chatbots and automation to manage customer inquiries at all hours.
Other significant uses of AI among small businesses include:
- - Document drafting
- - Bookkeeping and accounting tasks
- - Scheduling and calendar management
- - Workflow automation to enhance overall productivity
Grant Pastor, the Senior Product Marketing Manager at Revenued, stated,
"AI is no longer just a buzzword for small businesses. It's now a daily tool reshaping how entrepreneurs operate, compete, and engage with their customers." This sentiment is echoed by the feedback from the survey respondents, as 60% rated AI's effectiveness at a score of 4 or 5 out of 5, citing major time savings and reduced operational costs.
Challenges in AI Adoption
Despite the favorable outlook, the adoption of AI does not come without its hurdles. For many small business owners, challenges such as lack of training, high costs, difficulties integrating AI with existing systems, and concerns about data privacy remain significant barriers to utilizing AI to its full potential. Approximately half of the business owners expressed intentions to expand their AI usage within the year, indicating optimism about overcoming these obstacles.
The Broader Impact
Furthermore, the report also draws attention to the specific AI tools that small businesses are gravitating toward. Nearly 70% of AI users noted they frequently utilize ChatGPT or other OpenAI models, alongside tools like Google Gemini, Canva’s Magic Studio, Grammarly, and QuickBooks AI.
Revenued is addressing these findings comprehensively with a new podcast episode, where discussions with participating small business owners dive deeper into the data, explore success stories, and tackle concerns related to AI's accuracy, training requirements, and affordability.
To get insights firsthand, listeners can access the podcast episode
here.
Conclusion
The survey report, which is now accessible at
Revenued's website, confirms a transformative period for small entrepreneurs who are increasingly choosing to embrace AI.
Overall, as small businesses adapt to changing environments, AI appears central to their strategic goals, helping them not only to survive but also thrive amidst challenges. With tools like Revenued aiding in accessibility, the future for small business growth through AI appears bright.