Key Takeaways
- A new survey from Tech.co found that 22% of small business owners say AI saved them between six and ten hours in an average week.
- 54% of small business owners stated that they have seen some productivity boost as a result of implementing AI technology.
- Our data found that these leaders are using AI for writing tasks (29%), research (26%), and customer support (19%) more than anything else.
AI is finally starting to carry its weight, with new data from Tech.co discovering that 22% of small businesses owners are saving between six and ten hours per week by using AI.
That’s not all, though. A majority are seeing productivity gains, with 54% of small business owners stating that AI technology has improved their operation in some capacity since implementation.
As for what they’re using AI for, the survey found that writing tasks and research are quite common, while customer support remains one of the most productive industry for AI.
AI Is Improving Productivity
With 22% of businesses saving six to ten hours per week by using AI and 54% of business owners seeing productivity boosts, it’s safe to say that the technology is finally contributing in a serious way.
In fact, our data found that those spending heartily are seeing some of the biggest gains. Businesses spending between $1,001 and $2,500 on AI per month are the ones typically saving a full day of work, while businesses spending under $100 per month are saving less than 2 hours per month.
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All in all, AI remains a classic get-what-you-pay-for situation, with free and entry-level solutions not providing much when it comes to enterprise-level productivity gains.
What Are Businesses Using AI For?
We also asked business owners what they’re actually using AI for, so that we can get a feel for how the technology can best be utilized for productivity gains.
Here are some of the top tasks businesses leaders are automating in 2026:
- Writing tasks – 29%
- Research – 26%
- Customer support – 19%
- Taking meeting notes – 16%
- Scheduling & calendar management – 16%
- Money & bookkeeping – 15%
- Staffing & team admin – 13%
Right now, it seems like businesses are only comfortable automating some of the more basic tasks, while more advanced, human-level requirements like money and staffing are still waiting in the wings for more capable AI tools.
What Tasks Are AI Best For?
While we did provide you with some information about which tasks are being automated the most, it’s also worth understanding what automated tasks are improving productivity the most.
Our data found that 80% of business leaders who automated customer support tasks with AI saw improvements in productivity, representing the largest percentage of business leaders doing so.
Essentially, when speed and efficiency are the most important means of accomplishing a task, as is the case with almost all customer support interactions, AI tools can make a big difference for your business.
