Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly common in Canadian businesses. In the second quarter of 2026, 19.2% of Canadian businesses reported using AI to produce goods or deliver services, up from 12.2% in 2025 and 6.1% in 2024.
But how are Canadian businesses actually using AI?
How Are Businesses Using AI in Canada?
Canadian businesses are using AI primarily for data analytics, text analytics, customer-facing virtual agents and chatbots, natural language processing, marketing automation and large language models.
The most commonly reported applications among businesses already using AI were:
| AI Application | Businesses Using It |
|---|---|
| Data analytics | 36.6% |
| Text analytics | 34.5% |
| Virtual agents or chatbots | 28.2% |
| Natural language processing | 27.0% |
| Large language models | 24.8% |
| Speech or voice recognition | 20.6% |
| Marketing automation | 19.8% |
These percentages refer to businesses that reported using AI during the previous 12 months in Statistics Canada’s second-quarter 2026 survey.
Which Canadian Industries Are Using AI the Most?
AI adoption varies considerably by industry.
In the second quarter of 2026, information and cultural industries had the highest reported AI use at 42.3%, followed by finance and insurance at 40.4%, and professional, scientific and technical services at 32.4%.
| Industry | Businesses Using AI |
|---|---|
| Information & cultural industries | 42.3% |
| Finance & insurance | 40.4% |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | 32.4% |
| All businesses | 19.2% |
| Construction | 9.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 7.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting | 4.5% |
This shows that AI adoption in Canada is not uniform. Some industries are integrating AI into their operations much faster than others.
How Are Canadian Businesses Using AI for Marketing?
Marketing is becoming an important AI use case.
Canadian businesses reported using AI for marketing automation, alongside applications such as text analytics, data analytics and natural language processing.
Marketers can use AI to:
- Research customers and competitors
- Create advertising concepts
- Write and test marketing copy
- Analyze campaign data
- Personalize customer communication
- Automate repetitive marketing tasks
- Generate images and video concepts
- Analyze reviews and customer feedback
- Improve lead qualification
For performance marketers, AI can support the entire process from research → creative → advertising → conversion → analysis.
How Are Businesses Using AI for Customer Service?
Customer-facing AI is another major use case.
Statistics Canada reported that 28.2% of businesses using AI used virtual agents or chatbots in the second quarter of 2026.
Businesses can use AI-powered customer service systems to:
- Answer common questions
- Route customer requests
- Summarize conversations
- Provide product information
- Assist support employees
- Handle repetitive inquiries
This allows human employees to focus on more complex customer issues.
Are Canadian Small Businesses Using AI?
Yes, although adoption differs by company size.
In the second quarter of 2026, 19.9% of businesses with 1 to 4 employees reported using AI, compared with 27.8% of businesses with 100 or more employees.
Interestingly, smaller companies are not necessarily excluded from AI. For businesses with 1 to 4 employees that were using AI, data analytics and text analytics were among the most common applications.
What AI Tools Can Canadian Businesses Use?
Businesses in Canada have access to the same major commercial AI platforms available internationally.
Some commonly used tools include:
- ChatGPT for research, writing, analysis and business tasks
- Google Gemini for research, writing and Google ecosystem workflows
- Claude for writing, analysis and coding
- Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft-related workflows
- Perplexity for research and AI-powered search
- Canva AI for marketing design and content
- Midjourney for AI-generated visuals
- Runway for AI video creation
- Zapier for workflow automation
The best tool depends on the business problem. A company does not need to adopt every AI platform.
What Is Stopping Canadian Businesses From Using AI?
AI adoption still has clear barriers.
In Statistics Canada’s second-quarter 2026 survey, 40% of businesses said AI was not relevant to the goods or services they provide. Among other reported barriers, 13.4% cited cybersecurity or privacy concerns and 10.6% cited the cost of using AI.
This means the challenge is not simply access to AI technology. Businesses also need to determine whether AI solves a meaningful problem.
Is AI Changing Jobs in Canada?
AI adoption does not automatically mean job losses.
Among Canadian businesses that reported using AI in the second quarter of 2025, 89.4% reported no change in employment levels after implementation.
Businesses also reported operational changes after implementing AI. In that survey, 40.1% reported developing new workflows and 38.9% reported training existing employees to use AI.
The evidence therefore points to businesses changing workflows and employee tasks alongside AI adoption, rather than adoption being synonymous with workforce reductions.
What Is the Biggest AI Trend in Canada?
The data points toward businesses using AI for increasingly practical operational tasks rather than simply experimenting with chatbots.
Data analytics, text analytics, virtual agents, natural language processing and large language models are all significant applications among Canadian businesses.
For marketers, this means AI is becoming part of the marketing workflow, not just a tool for generating content.
How Should a Canadian Business Start Using AI?
Start with a business problem, not an AI tool.
Ask:
- What repetitive task takes the most employee time?
- Where are customers waiting for answers?
- What data does the business already collect?
- Which marketing tasks are repeated every week?
- Where could automation reduce manual work?
- What process could AI improve without compromising quality or privacy?
Then choose the AI platform that fits that specific workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of Canadian businesses use AI?
In the second quarter of 2026, 19.2% of Canadian businesses reported using AI to produce goods or deliver services during the previous 12 months.
Which Canadian industries use AI the most?
Information and cultural industries reported the highest AI use at 42.3%, followed by finance and insurance at 40.4%, and professional, scientific and technical services at 32.4%.
What are Canadian businesses using AI for?
The leading applications reported in 2026 were data analytics, text analytics, virtual agents or chatbots, natural language processing and large language models.
Are small businesses in Canada using AI?
Yes. Statistics Canada reported that 19.9% of businesses with 1 to 4 employees used AI in the second quarter of 2026.
Is AI replacing Canadian employees?
AI adoption and employment effects are separate issues. Statistics Canada reported that 89.4% of businesses using AI in its second-quarter 2025 survey reported no change in employment levels after implementation.
Conclusion
AI adoption in Canada is accelerating. 19.2% of businesses reported using AI in the second quarter of 2026, more than triple the 2024 level. Data analytics, text analytics, chatbots and natural language processing are among the leading applications.
For businesses, the opportunity is not simply to add AI to the technology stack. It is to identify specific processes where AI can save time, improve customer experiences, analyze data or support growth.
For marketers, combining AI with Paid Ads and Conversion Rate Optimization can create a more data-driven customer acquisition system.
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