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Business and AI, translated.

The reports that came out this season, read for you. What McKinsey, Microsoft and the Census Bureau found, what it means for a company your size, and what to do about it this month. Every post cites its source and its date.

New report, translated

Microsoft counted 15 times more AI agents at work this year. Here is what an agent actually is, and when a small business needs one.

The 2026 Work Trend Index in plain English: the difference between a chatbot and an agent, why the company matters twice as much as the person, and a four-question test for whether a task is ready.

5 min readSeptember 6, 2026
Government data, translated

The Census Bureau says 1 in 5 businesses use AI. The Chamber of Commerce says 6 in 10. Both are right, and the gap is your opening.

Two official-sounding numbers a year apart disagree by a factor of three. What each one actually measures, why small firms are flat, and what the honest number means for a shop on Main Street.

5 min readSeptember 6, 2026
New report, translated

McKinsey's new State of AI report: 80 percent of people are faster, 37 percent of companies are richer. What that means for a ten-person business.

The August 2026 survey in plain English: why the profit number has not moved in a year, what the 6 percent who profit do differently, and the three moves that translate to a small business.

6 min readSeptember 6, 2026