Key Takeaways
- A significant amount of business leaders admitted to lacking the right training to effectively use AI, in a new study.
- Businesses are adopting AI rapidly and are becoming more comfortable using the technology, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are using it effectively.
- Overall, leaders should consolidate their own knowledge and that of their teams in order to reap the full benefits AI can bring.
70% of small business owners admit to lacking the skills necessary to use AI effectively, according to a new study.
Businesses are, however, becoming more comfortable using AI, and are using the technology more than they did a year ago. 60% of respondents said they use AI every day.
Leaders specifically should focus on finding the correct AI training. Even if they are not using the technology as much as the departments below them, it will help them to respond and relate to teams more effectively.
Small Business Owners Need More AI Training
Thryv’s 2026 AI & Small Business Adoption 2026 report found 70% of small business owners in the US admit to needing more AI training, in order to use the technology more effectively.
“It’s clear that many SMBs are adopting AI faster than they can master it,” Grant Freeman, President of Thryv, stated. “Closing the gap between AI adoption and capability will be critical for Main Street success.”
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The survey consisted of 561 small and medium-sized business owners and decision-makers, with most reporting annual revenue of between $1 million and $1.9 million.
AI Adoption Remains High
Despite some uncertainty on how to fully leverage AI’s power, businesses are still adopting the technology at a rapid rate. The study found 66% of US small businesses now use AI, compared to 55% the year before.
Likewise, one third of those surveyed are spending more on AI tools than they were a year ago, and many have already reported gains in both revenue and efficiency. Overall, 70% had increased their revenue, and 55% reported it had helped to reduce costs.
While 46% of SMBs said they would choose AI if it could perform a task equally as well as a human, the study finds AI has not yet directly impacted hiring. Only 13% of respondents said they had hired fewer people because of AI, and 45% expect AI to have no impact on hiring in the next few months.
Proper AI Training is Still Needed for Leaders
It seems AI training is being taken up by different sources. In the study, 31% of respondents turned to other AI tools like ChatGPT to tell them how to use AI. 57% said their primary source of training is YouTube and social media, while 49% cited online resources and webinars.
As adoption still remains high, the study suggests a gap between the rate at which the technology is being introduced, and how quickly it’s being mastered by employees.
“Most small businesses are comfortable using AI. But being comfortable isn’t the same as being effective and that gap is starting to show.” — Grant Freeman, President of Thryv
The main takeaway here is that business leaders should spend time familiarizing both themselves and their departments with AI, before adopting it on a mass scale. This will help prevent against security errors and ensure the technology is making a difference.
