AI isn’t just an efficiency story anymore. For business owners thinking about a future sale, it’s becoming a valuation story.

Two years ago, “we’re looking into AI” was a reasonable answer. Today it’s a gap that buyers notice and increasingly, price in. Whether you run a founder-owned business or a larger middle-market company, the AI adoption numbers have moved fast.

As of the latest 2026 data, “57% of U.S. small businesses are investing in AI, up from 42% in 2024 and just 36% in 2023 – a 58% jump in two years,” according to business.com’s 2026 Small Business AI Outlook Report. Roughly three in ten small-business employees now use AI daily.

According to a separate March 2026 Goldman Sachs survey, adoption is even higher on a “currently using” basis: 76% of small businesses reported currently using AI. Overall, the findings from this survey were overwhelmingly positive. Among small businesses using AI, 93% say it has had a positive impact on their business, primarily through efficiency and productivity.

The divide isn’t just who uses AI, it’s who has embedded it. According to PWC’s 2026 Digital Trends in Operations Survey, “Only 27% of respondents have fully embedded an AI strategy across business units.” Many businesses are still experimenting, and that gap is part of what buyers price on.

Why it Shows Up in the Multiple
Buyers pay premiums for technology that makes for a more scalable, less labor-bound, more predictable business – exactly what AI does. A 2026 lower-middle-market M&A analysis from N2M now calls AI “a value driver – not just a buzzword,” noting that companies which can show AI expands margins are viewed far more favorably than those simply claiming to “use AI.” Middle-market and PE buyers have the diligence teams to tell the difference, and they reward embedded efficiency with a premium.

The Flip Side: AI Can Also Compress Your Multiple
AI is starting to penalize the wrong kind of growth, too. A March 2026 Forbes article reports that nearly 60% of Google searches now end without a click, as AI answers queries directly. The result: acquirers are already discounting valuations based on “search exposure risk,” with private equity firms factoring 15% to 20% haircuts on EBITDA multiples for companies that are over-reliant on organic search traffic. A channel once treated as an asset can now read as a concentration risk. Brand, trust, and direct customer relationships increasingly matter more than ranking highest on Google.

What it Means for Owners
None of this replaces the human side of a business. Buyers still pay premiums for a strong management team, a healthy culture, and loyal employees – AI amplifies great people, it doesn’t substitute for them.

The pattern cuts both ways: AI has become a lens buyers use to judge how durable and scalable your business really is. Demonstrable, embedded efficiency earns a premium; over-reliance on channels AI is disrupting invites a discount. Two moves matter most – make your AI-driven gains measurable so they show up in the numbers, and start early, since the strongest transactions often begin 12–24 months before going to market.

Curious what your business could be worth to the right buyer? ACT Capital Advisors has spent 40 years helping lower-middle-market and middle-market owners understand and maximize value ahead of a sale.

About ACT Capital Advisors
ACT Capital Advisors is a premier mergers & acquisitions firm representing lower to middle-market companies across all industries. ACT has a 40-year history of deal-making, closing 250+ transactions, and unlocking over $2.5 billion in wealth for its clients. Recognized by Axial as a Top 10 Investment Bank. For more information, visit actcapitaladvisors.com.