What keeps businesses from planning to use AI?
Applicability, knowledge, privacy, maturity, skills, and costs.
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The answer
Among businesses not planning to use AI, 61.6% said AI was not applicable to their business. Lack of knowledge about AI capabilities was reported by 22.0%, privacy or security concerns by 20.7%, and insufficient technology maturity by 13.0%. Cost was reported by 6.9%.
How to read this finding
Businesses could select several reasons. These are responses among non-planners, not barriers reported by all businesses. “Not applicable” records the respondent’s assessment; the survey does not test whether an AI use case would actually be valuable.
Detailed AI supplement: collected November 17, 2025–February 8, 2026; released April 23, 2026. Past-use questions look back six months unless otherwise specified; future questions look forward six months from the survey response.
Why does the business not plan to use AI?
Why does this business not plan to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the next six months?
| Response | Businesses (%) | Standard error (pp) |
|---|---|---|
| Too expensive | 6.9 | 0.11 |
| AI is not a mature enough technology yet | 13.0 | 0.09 |
| Lack of knowledge on the capabilities of AI | 22.0 | 0.17 |
| Concerns about privacy/security | 20.7 | 0.17 |
| Concerns about bias | 8.6 | 0.12 |
| Lack of skilled workforce | 7.1 | 0.07 |
| Lack of required data | 5.1 | 0.07 |
| Laws and regulations prevent or restrict use of AI | 2.8 | 0.08 |
| Previous or current use of AI did not meet expectations | 3.2 | 0.05 |
| AI is not applicable to this business | 61.6 | 0.24 |
| Other | 7.9 | 0.14 |
Multiple responses are possible; percentages need not add to 100.
A practical business conversation
A Chamber can respond with a needs-based discussion: what problem does the business face, what information can be used, and what evidence would justify a trial? Entrepreneurs can test training or implementation offers with prospective customers who describe a specific unmet need.
Listen to the reason for hesitation before proposing a tool or service.
What this evidence cannot establish
The answers do not rank the severity of each barrier or reveal willingness to pay. They also do not show that removing one obstacle would cause adoption.