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Key Takeaways
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D-FW’s AI usage rate hit 26% in July, up from 20% in January, outpacing the national average and the three largest U.S. metros, per a new WeWork analysis of Census data.
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Large firms adopted AI far faster than small ones, with 39% of the biggest companies using the technology in July compared with just 21% of the smallest firms nationally.
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D-FW’s rising AI usage reinforces its tech-hub status, following separate CompTIA and CBRE rankings citing nearly 11,000 tech job postings and strong data-center growth in the region.
More than a quarter of North Texas businesses were using artificial intelligence in July, outpacing New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, according to a recent WeWork analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Dallas-Fort Worth’s 26% adoption rate climbed from just over 20% in January and now sits above the 22% national average, the Dallas Morning News reported.
A Divide Between Big and Small
The report reiterated a pattern seen across the broader economy: AI adoption is concentrated among large firms and specific industries, while smaller businesses have been slower to embrace the technology. Nationally, 39% of the largest companies reported using AI in July, compared with just 21% of the smallest firms.
“For all its revolutionizing potential, AI is still a relatively new technology that continues to advance unevenly and at an unpredictable pace,” WeWork’s report noted. Even so, D-FW’s usage curve is trending upward, with 29% of respondents saying they expect to adopt the technology within six months.
The Details
WeWork built its findings on the Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlook Survey, which polls more than 1 million businesses nationwide on whether they used AI in the prior two weeks. D-FW’s 26% July rate compared with roughly 18% in greater New York, 20% in greater Los Angeles, and 22% in greater Chicago.
The region’s usage landed on par with Miami’s, while Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston posted slightly higher rates than D-FW. Phoenix, Portland, and St. Louis all trailed North Texas, alongside New York and LA.
Zooming Out
The findings add to a string of reports pointing to D-FW’s rise as a tech hub. A separate CompTIA analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data found nearly 11,000 tech-related job postings in the region this summer, the third-highest total among U.S. metros. CBRE, meanwhile, ranked D-FW the eighth-best North American market for tech talent, trailing only Austin among Texas metros and outranking Vancouver, Denver, and greater LA.
