"Using AI" is not enough

Most small businesses say they're "using AI" now.

But LinkedIn's latest research says the new competitive edge isn't better tools. It's AI literacy — knowing how to use what you have.

AI literacy is now the fastest-growing skill in the US. Only 3% of workers have it.

Last year's question: "Are you using AI?" This year's question: "How well are you using AI?"

Dabbling is using ChatGPT to rewrite an email. Transformation is rethinking how your team handles communication in the first place.

One is a tool. The other is a habit.

The gap isn't between companies that use AI and those that don't. It's between those that dabble and those that actually change how they work.

Try this. Ask whatever AI you use most:

"Rate how well I've been using you, 0-100. What's the 20% of my usage creating 80% of the value? What am I missing?"

That's the difference between motion and progress.

Source: LinkedIn Labor Market Report, January 2026