AI
The U.S. Census Bureau and “Super Intelligence”
Publication: Simon Willison's Weblog
Author: Not available in collected metadata
Source published: 02/11/2026, 13:31:26 UTC
Briefing created: 02/11/2026, 14:20:28 UTC
Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 02/11/2026, 13:42:24 UTC.
Briefings
The U.S. Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) data shows a significant increase in reported AI usage among large U.S. companies from 12% in September 2025 to 40% by October 2026. This rise coincides with a change in survey wording from 'producing goods or services' to 'any of its business functions' on November 17, 2025, and further updates to 'Super Intelligence' terminology on October 19, 2026. The evidence indicates that the Bureau's survey methodology has evolved to align with Executive Order 14434, potentially altering data comparability over time.
Key points
- Large U.S. companies reported 12% AI usage in producing goods or services in September 2025, rising to 40% by October 2026 under the new survey wording.
- The survey question changed from 'producing goods or services' to 'any of its business functions' on November 17, 2025, creating non-comparable data between periods.
Context
The U.S. Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) cycles every twelve weeks to 200,000 businesses, with data published on alternating Thursdays. The survey tracks AI adoption trends for large companies, and recent changes in question wording may impact data comparability.
Limitations
Survey results reflect the old AI wording; first results for Super Intelligence are due for publication. Wording changes may affect survey results, but impact is uncertain. Data reflects October 2026 collection; future trends unknown.
Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 02/11/2026, 14:20:28 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.
View archived briefing on IPFS
bafybeihyeqbh6l2ebpxoudzksfjs44mzmx6hub4q6o6bqerzd37npbuctu