{
  "schema_version": "1.1",
  "id": "census-sales-marketing-top-ai-business-function-52-percent",
  "slug": "census-sales-marketing-top-ai-business-function-52-percent",
  "url": "https://groundedkit.com/claims/census-sales-marketing-top-ai-business-function-52-percent/",
  "api_url": "https://groundedkit.com/api/claims/census-sales-marketing-top-ai-business-function-52-percent.json",
  "claim": "Sales and marketing is the business function where AI-using firms most often use AI (52%) (Census working paper, 2026)",
  "commonly_cited_as": "\"Marketing is the #1 use of AI in business\"",
  "verdict": "verified",
  "verdict_definition": "Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.",
  "confidence": "high",
  "rating": {
    "value": 5,
    "best": 5,
    "worst": 1
  },
  "origin": {
    "publisher": "U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies",
    "title": "The Microstructure of AI Diffusion: Evidence From Firms, Business Functions, and Worker Tasks (CES-WP-26-25, 2026)",
    "year": "2026"
  },
  "quote": "Among adopting firms, the scope of use remains limited: 57% of users integrate AI in three or fewer business functions, most commonly Sales and Marketing (52%), Strategy and Business Development (45%), and IT (41%).",
  "method": "2026 AI supplement to the Census Business Trends and Outlook Survey, described by the authors as nationally representative; working paper (views are the authors').",
  "drift": [
    "Base: share of AI-using firms (about 18% of all firms), not of all firms"
  ],
  "interest": "n/a (federal statistical agency working paper).",
  "safe_rephrasing": "A 2026 Census working paper found that among U.S. firms using AI, 52% used it in sales and marketing, the most common function; only about 18% of firms used AI at all in that period.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Census CES Working Paper 26-25 (PDF)",
      "url": "https://www2.census.gov/library/working-papers/2026/adrm/ces/CES-WP-26-25.pdf",
      "primary": true
    }
  ],
  "kind": "reference_fact",
  "as_of": "BTOS AI supplement, reference period Nov. 2025–Jan. 2026",
  "last_checked": "2026-10-16",
  "stale": false,
  "date_reviewed": "2026-10-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}