AI MarketingVideo Blog4 min read

Canadian Businesses Tripled Their AI Use in Two Years

October 30, 2026By Sandbox Media

Statistics Canada's second quarter 2026 survey found that 19.2% of Canadian businesses used AI to produce goods or deliver services in the previous 12 months, up from 12.2% in 2025 and 6.1% in 2024. The same survey found that 40.0% of businesses said the use of AI is not relevant to the goods they produce or the services they deliver.

For owners deciding whether AI belongs in their business, Sandeep's point is that the useful question is not whether AI is everywhere. It is where, in how you deliver for customers, you could test it.

Key Takeaways

Statistics Canada reports 19.2% of businesses used AI to produce goods or deliver services, up from 12.2% in 2025 and 6.1% in 2024.
Among businesses using AI, the most common uses were data analytics, text analytics, and chatbots or virtual agents.
40.0% of businesses said the use of AI is not relevant to the goods they produce or the services they deliver.
The survey asks specifically about AI used to produce goods or deliver services.

How much have Canadian businesses grown their AI use?

Statistics Canada reports that 19.2% of businesses used AI to produce goods or deliver services in the 12 months before its second quarter 2026 survey, and says the share has tripled since the second quarter of 2024. About 9,000 businesses and organizations responded.

Year (second quarter)	Share of Canadian businesses using AI to produce goods or deliver services
2024	6.1%
2025	12.2%
2026	19.2%

What do Canadian businesses use AI for?

Among businesses using AI, the top uses in 2026 were data analytics, text analytics, and virtual agents or chatbots, according to Statistics Canada. Those shares are of businesses that use AI, not of all businesses.

How many businesses say AI is not relevant to them?

Statistics Canada reports that 40.0% of businesses said the use of AI is not relevant to the goods they produce or the services they deliver.

What should a business do about it?

Sandeep's advice: if you think AI isn't relevant to your business, write down why. Then pick one place where you deliver for customers and test it for two weeks. If that place is customer-facing, keep a person in the loop while you test; we covered why in the danger of "YOLO mode".

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Who ran the survey? Statistics Canada, in the second quarter of 2026 (Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, April 1 to May 6, 2026).

Does the figure include someone using ChatGPT for emails? The survey asks about AI used to produce goods or deliver services, which is a specific question, so it is not the same as asking whether anyone on the team has tried an AI tool.

What was the biggest AI use? Among businesses using AI, data analytics was the most common at 36.6%, followed by text analytics at 34.5% and virtual agents or chatbots at 28.2%.