Simon Willison Examines U.S. Census Bureau AI Data and Executive Order Impact
Developer Simon Willison revisited the U.S. Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey data on corporate AI adoption, discovering a structural break caused by survey questionnaire modifications and government policy changes. This analysis highlights how bureaucratic shifts and federal mandates, such as Executive Order 14434, can abruptly alter public data tracking and make longitudinal government metrics difficult to compare accurately over time. The Census Bureau's survey question was broadened in late 2025 from focusing specifically on AI in producing goods or services to any business function, coinciding with administrative actions that affected federal terminology.
## BACKGROUND
Executive Order 14434 directed federal agencies to replace terminology like 'Artificial Intelligence' and 'AI' with 'Super Intelligence' and 'SI.' Meanwhile, the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) is a biweekly survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that samples hundreds of thousands of businesses to gauge economic trends.