Log inSubscribe
The AI Adoption Index · November 2026

Where business leaders really are with AI

Most are still finding their feet. Here is what 14,930 readers of The AI Report told us about their AI stage, tools, blockers and budgets, and what sets apart the ones further along.

30out of 100
0: exploring50: piloting100: scaling

The score is the average of where readers say they are, on a scale from 0 (just exploring) through 25 (experimenting), 50 (piloting) and 75 (running AI in daily operations) to 100 (scaling it across the business).

37%are still exploring what AI can do for them
14%have AI running in daily operations or are scaling it
79%use ChatGPT. 69% use Claude and 47% Gemini
53%decide, recommend or influence what their company buys

Based on 14,930 benchmark answers, July 20 to November 5, 2026. Updated every month.

1

Most readers are still near the start

Just over a third (37%) are exploring what AI can do for them, and another 28% are experimenting. Only 14% have AI running in their daily operations or are scaling it across the business.

That gap is the opportunity. The readers further along are not using rarer tools. They have moved from trying AI to giving it regular jobs.

Where readers are with AI

Share of 14,547 readers, by stage

See the numbers
StageShare
Exploring37% (5,340)
Experimenting28% (4,007)
Piloting21% (3,111)
Operating8% (1,179)
Scaling6% (910)
2

Company size matters, up to a point

Solo operators are the least far along: 24% are piloting or beyond. That rises to 36% at companies of 2 to 10 people and 42% at 11 to 200, then levels off at about 46% for companies of 201 people or more.

Past a couple of hundred people, size stops being the advantage. What matters is whether someone owns getting AI into the work.

Piloting AI or further along, by company size

Share of readers at each company size

See the numbers
Company sizeShare
Solo24% (5,045)
2 to 1036% (2,306)
11 to 20042% (3,061)
201 to 5,00046% (2,308)
5,000 or more45% (1,827)
3

ChatGPT leads, and most readers use more than one assistant

Of the 13,744 readers who named the AI tools they use, 79% use ChatGPT, 69% Claude and 47% Gemini. The average reader uses three AI tools, and 52% use three or more.

Claude reads high here because many readers found us through our Claude prompt guides.

AI tools readers use

Share of 13,744 readers who named their tools

See the numbers
ToolShare
ChatGPT79% (10,835)
Claude69% (9,466)
Gemini47% (6,413)
Canva24% (3,242)
Grammarly16% (2,217)
Perplexity16% (2,187)
Microsoft Copilot13% (1,781)
4

At the biggest companies, Copilot use doubles

Microsoft Copilot is used by about 1 in 10 readers at companies of up to 200 people, rising to 16% at 201 to 5,000 and 22% at companies of 5,000 or more.

Readers who use Microsoft Copilot, by company size

Share of readers who named their tools

See the numbers
Company sizeShare
Solo11% (4,620)
2 to 1011% (2,206)
11 to 20010% (2,933)
201 to 5,00016% (2,225)
5,000 or more22% (1,760)
5

The blocker changes as you go

Early on, the biggest blocker is choosing the right tools (37% of readers who are exploring or experimenting). Once readers are piloting or beyond, the skills gap takes over (28%), and not having the time grows from 13% to 18%.

Exploring or experimenting

Biggest blocker, 9,347 readers

See the numbers
BlockerShare
Choosing the right tools37% (3,473)
Skills gap31% (2,936)
No time13% (1,251)
Getting reliable output5% (478)
Budget5% (447)

Piloting or further along

Biggest blocker, 5,200 readers

See the numbers
BlockerShare
Skills gap28% (1,482)
Choosing the right tools23% (1,171)
No time18% (929)
Budget8% (393)
Getting reliable output7% (372)
6

Everyone wants time back. Small firms also want revenue

Saving time is the top 90-day goal at every company size (40% overall), followed by building skills (28%). But 21% of solo operators and 21% of companies with 2 to 10 people want AI to grow revenue, against 4% at companies of 5,000 or more.

Top AI goal for the next 90 days

Share of 14,929 readers

See the numbers
GoalShare
Save time40% (6,005)
Build skills28% (4,234)
Grow revenue14% (2,084)
Build an AI product9% (1,376)
Make better decisions5% (753)
Cut costs2% (253)
Ship faster2% (224)

Want AI to grow revenue, by company size

Share of readers at each company size

See the numbers
Company sizeShare
Solo21% (5,200)
2 to 1021% (2,378)
11 to 2009% (3,126)
201 to 5,0005% (2,348)
5,000 or more4% (1,877)
7

Software leads, and most industries sit close together

Readers in software are the furthest along: 44% are piloting or beyond. Most other industries sit between 31% and 37%, with marketing and media and nonprofit and government at the bottom.

Piloting AI or further along, by industry

Share of readers in each industry

See the numbers
IndustryShare
Software44% (1,524)
Healthcare37% (1,626)
Manufacturing37% (1,306)
Professional services36% (2,582)
Legal36% (384)
Financial services35% (1,162)
Real estate34% (730)
Education33% (1,412)
Ecommerce and retail33% (907)
Marketing and media32% (1,346)
Nonprofit and government31% (1,225)
8

VPs are furthest along. Individual contributors trail

Heads of function and VPs are the furthest along (48% piloting or beyond), ahead of directors and the C-suite. Individual contributors trail at 22%.

We added this question partway through, so these figures use the readers who were asked it.

Piloting AI or further along, by seniority

Share of readers at each level

See the numbers
SeniorityShare
VP or head of function48% (531)
Director43% (1,000)
C-suite or founder43% (1,123)
Manager or team lead36% (1,546)
Consultant or adviser35% (835)
Individual contributor22% (2,157)
9

Most first AI projects are small

Of the 7,394 readers we asked, 41% are not sure yet what their first AI project will cost and 37% expect to spend under $500. About 1 in 10 expect to spend more than $5,000, and at companies of 5,000 or more, 7% expect to spend over $100,000.

Budget for a first AI project

Share of 7,394 readers asked

See the numbers
BudgetShare
Not sure yet41% (3,050)
Under $50037% (2,742)
$500 to $5,00012% (866)
$5,000 to $25,0005% (406)
$25,000 to $100,0002% (181)
Over $100,0002% (149)
The AI Report Pro

Get the full report with Pro

Pro members get the full November report: every chart by company size, industry and role, the tools that set the leaders apart, budgets, and the data tables for their own slides.

  • The full 18-page November report, with every chart by company size, industry and role
  • What the leaders do differently, and the data tables for your own slides
  • A new ready-to-use report every week, the whole Pro library and member perks
Join Pro for $15 a month

Or $99 a year. 30-day money-back guarantee.

See where you stand

Take the benchmark yourself

Subscribe free and you'll answer the same nine quick questions as everyone in this Index. You'll see how you compare and get a personal next step, plus The AI Report every weekday.

Free. Two minutes. Unsubscribe anytime.

Sponsor the Index

Put your brand on the next edition

Each month the Index goes to 400,000+ readers and to the writers who cite it. One sponsor per edition.

Talk to us about sponsoring
How we measure

Method and limits

  • Source: the benchmark, nine quick questions readers of The AI Report answer when they subscribe. This edition uses 14,930 finished benchmarks from July 20 to November 5, 2026, counting each person once, with their latest answers.
  • Who answered: subscribers to The AI Report, a daily AI briefing for business leaders with 400,000+ readers. They are not a random sample of all workers. They chose to read about AI, so they are likely further along than average.
  • Many readers in this period found us through our free Claude prompt guides, so Claude use reads higher here than in the wider population.
  • Stage is self-reported. The score turns stages into numbers (exploring 0, experimenting 25, piloting 50, operating 75, scaling 100) and averages them. Advisers and consultants who help others with AI (382 people) are left out of the stage figures.
  • Tool shares use the 13,744 readers who named at least one tool. Questions on role, seniority and budget were added partway through, so those figures use the roughly 7,400 readers who were asked.
  • Percentages are rounded, so some groups do not add up to exactly 100. We only show groups of 300 people or more.
  • The welcome survey changed its look on November 4, 2026. We will check whether that shifts answers before comparing editions.
  • From December, each edition covers the latest 90 days and shows the change from the edition before.

Use these numbers

You are welcome to quote and chart these numbers with a credit and a link to this page.

The AI Report, AI Adoption Index, November 2026. https://www.theaireport.ai/ai-adoption-index

Questions or press: support@theaireport.ai. Published November 5, 2026.