Do small Québec businesses use AI?

Among businesses with 1 to 4 employees, 19.4% used AI in the second quarter of 2026, and 24.7% planned to use it over the following 12 months (third quarter of 2026), according to Statistics Canada.

What holds back AI adoption in Québec?

Cybersecurity and the protection of personal information (17.9% of businesses), cost (10.1%) and a lack of skilled workers (9.5%), according to Statistics Canada in the second quarter of 2026; 36.4% of businesses said AI is not relevant to them.

Blog · published October 2, 2026

AI in Québec businesses in 2026: the official numbers

In 2026, about one Québec business in five uses AI: 20.1% of Québec businesses used artificial intelligence to produce goods or deliver services in the 12 months before the second quarter of 2026, according to Statistics Canada (19.2% across Canada). Among businesses with 1 to 4 employees, it is 19.4%. And 27.4% of Québec businesses plan to use AI over the next 12 months.

Published by Zen Solutions (Laval), which sells AI services to small businesses. Every figure comes from a dated public source, linked at the bottom; the math is done from those figures. Spotted an error? Write to info@zen-solutions.net.

How many businesses use AI

Statistics Canada asks the question every quarter in the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, of businesses with at least one employee. In the second quarter of 2026, 20.1% of Québec businesses said they had used AI to produce goods or deliver services over the previous 12 months — 19.4% among those with 1 to 4 employees. Across Canada: 19.2%, up from 12.2% a year earlier and 6.1% in 2024.

The Institut de la statistique du Québec, which analyses the same survey, put Québec at 12.7% for the 12 months before the second quarter of 2025, and at 9.4% a year earlier.

How many plan to start

In the third quarter of 2026, 27.4% of Québec businesses planned to use AI over the following 12 months — 24.7% among those with 1 to 4 employees. Across Canada: 25.2%, up from 14.5% a year earlier.

A plan is not use: these figures say what businesses intend to do, not what they do.

What holds Québec businesses back

In the second quarter of 2026, Québec businesses mostly named these obstacles to adopting AI:

cybersecurity and the protection of personal information: 17.9%
cost: 10.1%
a lack of skilled workers: 9.5%

And 36.4% said AI is not relevant to their business.

Among innovative businesses

The Conseil de l’innovation du Québec, in the preliminary version of its PIVOT 2026 report (August 2026), reports that 46% of innovative Québec businesses have adopted AI, against 57% in British Columbia — the lowest rate among the provinces compared. That survey covers innovative businesses only, so its figures do not compare with Statistics Canada’s.

What it means for a small business

Four Québec businesses in five do not use AI yet. The first obstacle named is the protection of personal information: before you install an AI tool that talks to your customers, ask the questions in our Law 25 guide. For cost, compare published prices. For skills, see our AI training page. Zen Solutions sells AI services to Québec small businesses: we say so, so you can read those links knowing it.

Frequently asked questions

How many Québec businesses use AI in 2026?: 20.1% of Québec businesses with employees used AI to produce goods or deliver services in the 12 months before the second quarter of 2026, according to Statistics Canada (19.2% across Canada).
Do small Québec businesses use AI?: Among businesses with 1 to 4 employees, 19.4% used AI in the second quarter of 2026, and 24.7% planned to use it over the following 12 months (third quarter of 2026), according to Statistics Canada.
What holds back AI adoption in Québec?: Cybersecurity and the protection of personal information (17.9% of businesses), cost (10.1%) and a lack of skilled workers (9.5%), according to Statistics Canada in the second quarter of 2026; 36.4% of businesses said AI is not relevant to them.

Sources

Figures checked on October 2, 2026. This article summarizes public data; it is not accounting, tax or legal advice.