The Pulse of Lancaster County Business
The Lancaster Chamber launched the Pulse of Lancaster Business survey series to provide snapshots of the trends, opportunities, and challenges impacting businesses across Lancaster County. Distributed at regular intervals throughout the year, each survey will focus on a timely business topic, and the results will be shared with you and the business community.
AI Adoption in the Workplace
This survey explored how local businesses are approaching Artificial Intelligence (AI), from adoption and workforce impact to challenges, training, and ethical considerations. Businesses shared their perspectives, providing a snapshot of how AI is being used today and where businesses may need additional resources and support.
The results identify emerging trends, reveal challenges and opportunities leaders see for their businesses relating to AI, and provide insights into the resources needed to support businesses as they navigate the evolving landscape.
Insights
- ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACH TO AI
Organizations in Lancaster County are embracing AI at different levels. 33% of respondents are actively integrating AI into multiple business functions, while 36% are experimenting with AI in select areas. 10% have no plans to adopt AI in the near future, while 21% are exploring but have not implemented it yet. - PRIMARY GOALS OF AI ADOPTION
Productivity is overwhelmingly the primary driver of AI adoption with 65% citing increasing productivity/efficiency as a goal. Cost reduction is not the primary motivation, only 1.5% specifically identify reducing operational costs, suggesting businesses are thinking about AI more as a capacity/productivity tool than a cost-cutting tool. The other options were all below 10% (supporting decision-making with data insights, enhancing customer experience, automating repetitive tasks, and reducing operational costs), with the comment section noting that many are using it for all the above. - IMPACT OF AI ON THE WORKFORCE
AI’s impact on workforce so far is productivity, not headcount. Nearly 54% report increased efficiency/time savings, making this by far the most common impact. At the same time, AI is still relatively early-stage for many employers with 45% reporting no significant impact so far. That suggests adoption is uneven and many businesses may still be experimenting or figuring out where AI fits. The overall story is less “AI is replacing workers” and more “AI is changing how work gets done”. - BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN ADOPTING AI
Businesses aren’t necessarily looking for more analysis of whether AI matters, but they are looking for the expertise, guidance, and confidence to use it well. The biggest barriers to adoption are people and trust, not just technology. Lack of internal expertise and data privacy/security concerns are tied for the top challenges at 38%. Ethical considerations are also significant, 32% cite this concern. Tied together, all of this suggests that businesses are thinking seriously about responsible AI use.
Explore the results below to see what we heard from Lancaster County’s business community:
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