Analysis ·
AI agents go mainstream among small businesses
- Publication
- Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (United States)
- Author
- SBE Council
- Published on
- 30 September 2026 · read in the page structured data · updated on 1 October 2026
Summary
According to Karen Kerrigan, president of the SBE Council, small US businesses are adopting AI agents on a large scale; these agents can carry out tasks end to end rather than simply responding to prompts. The SBE Council's forthcoming "Small Business Check Up Survey" indicates that 58% of small employers already use AI agents regularly or occasionally, and 14% are considering doing so, making 72% in total. The SBE Council's 2026 technology usage survey finds that 82% of small employers have adopted AI tools, using five tools on average, with two thirds reporting revenue gains. The article presents Muse for Small Business, an agent launched by Meta, which connects to tools such as QuickBooks, Shopify, Stripe or Facebook and Instagram advertising accounts to analyse sales, campaigns and finances.
Summary based on the full text of the article.
Read the article on Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council →Figures cited
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58 %
share of small employers already using AI agents regularly or occasionally
US small employers, forthcoming SBE Council survey
« SBE Council’s forthcoming “Small Business Check Up Survey,” to be released next week, finds that 58% of small employers are already using AI agents regularly or occasionally. »
Source: SBE Council Small Business Check Up Survey
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72 %
share of small employers using or considering using AI agents
US small employers
« That means 72% of small employers are either currently using AI agents or considering their use in the near future. »
Source: SBE Council Small Business Check Up Survey
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82 %
share of small employers that have adopted AI tools
US small employers, SBE Council 2026 survey
« Our 2026 Small Business Technology Use Survey found that 82% of small business employers have adopted AI tools, with the typical business using five. »
Source: SBE Council 2026 Small Business Technology Use Survey
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66 %
share of AI users reporting revenue gains
US small employers using AI
« Two-thirds of users reported revenue gains tied to AI, while 93% planned to continue investing in AI tools over the coming year. »
Source: SBE Council 2026 Small Business Technology Use Survey
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93 %
share of small employers planning to continue investing in AI
US small employers using AI
« Two-thirds of users reported revenue gains tied to AI, while 93% planned to continue investing in AI tools over the coming year. »
Source: SBE Council 2026 Small Business Technology Use Survey
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62 %
ranking of Facebook as the most used platform among small businesses
US small businesses, SBE Council survey, March 2026
« Our March 2026 survey found that Facebook ranked first among social media and technology platforms used by small businesses (62%) to generate revenue and for building their brands. »
Source: SBE Council enquête mars 2026
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43 %
Instagram use by small businesses
US small businesses, SBE Council survey, March 2026
« Instagram followed at 43%. »
Source: SBE Council enquête mars 2026
Classification
- Country
- United States
- Company size
- Micro-businesses, SMEs
- Industries
- All industries, or industry not specified
- Companies
- SBE Council (study author), Meta (supplier)
- Keywords
- ai agents, small businesses, meta muse, automation, ai adoption, generative artificial intelligence
Entry written by Marsanne Studio from the cited article, with the help of an AI model (claude-sonnet-5). The rights to the article and its illustrations belong to Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council and its author. Entry translated from French by Claude Sonnet 5.5.