This page compiles AI adoption data into a quarter-by-quarter view, prioritizing the cleanest time-series sources: the Federal Reserve / St. Louis Fed Real-Time Population Survey (quarterly individual data since Aug 2024), the US Census Bureau Business Trends and Outlook Survey (biweekly firm-level since Sept 2023), and annual organizational snapshots from McKinsey and others for the earlier period.
The AI Behavior Index is the research arm of OneChat AI, an integrated multi-model AI platform. We compile and analyze data from primary research sources to make AI adoption and market trends more accessible to journalists, researchers, and decision-makers.
Why this is a compiled tracker, not one dataset: no single survey measured AI adoption quarterly across the whole 2022–2026 window. We are transparent about the seam: points before mid-2024 are annual snapshots (and sometimes from different surveys), while the genuinely quarterly data begins with the Fed’s RPS in August 2024. Plotting them together shows the real trajectory, but the early-period granularity is lower than the chart’s smooth line might imply — so we label which points are annual vs. quarterly.
Methodology notes: the headline curve mixes survey sources with different samples and definitions, so treat pre-2024 points as approximate annual markers, not precise quarterly readings. The RPS (individuals) and BTOS (firms) are the most methodologically rigorous quarterly series but measure different things — individual vs. firm use — which is why their levels differ. The Census broadened its AI question in Nov 2025 (from “producing goods/services” to “any business function”), creating a definitional break we note. Cross-survey level comparisons are therefore directional; the trend within each series is reliable.
Sources used on this page:
- Federal Reserve — Monitoring AI Adoption in the US Economy 2026 (cross-survey; BTOS)
- St. Louis Fed — State of Generative AI Adoption 2025 (Real-Time Population Survey)
- Netguru / McKinsey — AI Adoption Statistics 2026 (annual organizational snapshots)
- OECD — AI Use by Individuals & Firms 2026 (firm-level cross-country)
Corrections or suggestions: research@aibehaviorindex.org