Employees Are Exploring AI Tools on Their Own

from U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Half of all workers at small businesses already use AI at work — and the vast majority are using it to get more done, not to automate themselves out of a job.

That is the central finding of the inaugural Main Street AI Monitor, released earlier this year by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in partnership with Ipsos. The survey — the first ongoing national study designed to track AI adoption in real time across small business employees — captures a workforce in the early stages of a significant shift.

Adoption Is Often Coming from Workers

In many cases, AI is arriving from the bottom up, not the top down. About one in five workers (19%) say adoption at their organization has been driven mostly by employees exploring tools on their own, compared with just 11% who say it has been driven by organizational guidance or direction.

The pattern is familiar: it mirrors how email, smartphones and cloud apps entered the workplace — consumer-accessible technology embraced by workers before institutions caught up. The findings point to a workforce that is not waiting for permission.

Workers Are Using AI to Work Smarter, Not Step Back

Among small business workers who use AI, 58% use it on a more regular basis. Sixty-four percent say their primary application is personal productivity — drafting, summarizing and brainstorming. Another 26% use it to help with recurring tasks. Just 6% say they use it to automate workflows with minimal human involvement.

The dominant pattern is augmentation: workers using AI to do their jobs better. When AI saves time or improves quality, most workers reinvest those gains into stronger performance:

59% say they use the time to do more work or produce higher-quality output
43% use it for learning, planning, or reviewing existing work
27% say it allows them to take on stretch assignments or new responsibilities

However, not all time savings are directed back into work. Twenty-eight percent say they use the time to avoid working overtime or extra hours, and 23% say they take time for breaks or personal tasks. These patterns underscore that productivity gains do not automatically translate into additional output.

The Next Frontier: Employer Enablement

Adoption is not without friction. Nearly half of workers (47%) cite privacy or security concerns as a barrier. Forty-one percent say it is unclear how AI applies to their specific business, and 41% point to a skills gap. The barriers are informational and structural — exactly the kind that practical guidance and accessible training are well positioned to address.

The overall findings carry broader economic implications. Small businesses employ nearly half of all American workers, and research links productivity growth to long-term wage gains.

“That’s why we’re working with local chambers in communities around the country to bring basic AI training directly to 10,000 small businesses. The tools are already in workers’ hands — our job is to make sure employers have what they need to use those tools effectively,” said Shanique Streete, executive director of resilient communities at the U.S. Chamber Foundation.

The Main Street AI Monitor is the first ongoing national survey designed to track how AI is spreading through small businesses in real time. The inaugural survey wa conducted May 8–11, 2026, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel^®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,070 general population adults aged 18 or older who are employed at U.S. small businesses, which were defined as non-government businesses or organizations with 2–499 employees. Most existing AI research focuses on large enterprises or forecasts what the technology will eventually mean for jobs. This tracker takes a different approach, examining the specific tasks that make up small business jobs and how AI is changing them. Conducted quarterly, it will provide a ground-level, ongoing view of where adoption is accelerating, how workers are applying these tools, and where employers need support to keep pace.