Helping small businesses put AI to work

Small businesses are built on ambition: a craft you’ve perfected, a skill to share, a better way to serve a community. But turning that ambition and expertise into a business also means finding customers, managing finances, and handling marketing, often with a small team and little time to spare. AI can extend a team’s capacity, but figuring out where to start takes time too. A trusted advisor can make that first step easier.

Today, OpenAI is announcing a partnership with America’s SBDC ⁠ (opens in a new window) —the national network of small business development centers serving 1 million entrepreneurs each year—to help more small businesses use AI at work. In this initial phase, through OpenAI Academy’s Community Trainer Program , we plan to train around 150 Small Business Development Center advisors and bring hands-on workshops to SBDC networks across the country, with the goal of reaching at least 1,000 small businesses through in-person training and many more through one-on-one advising and resources we develop together.

Alongside this new partnership, we’re also releasing Small Businesses, Bigger Capabilities , a new report ⁠ (opens in a new window) examining how owners and small teams are using AI to expand what they can build and accomplish. The report finds that in just one recent week, from September 9-15, around 4 million small-firm employees worldwide used OpenAI’s tools . Through the SBDC partnership, we want to help even more owners build the skills and confidence to explore what AI could make possible for their businesses.

Hands-on local workshops. We plan to work with SBDC networks to host Academy Workshops, with at least one at each participating network. Modeled on OpenAI Academy’s three-hour, hands-on format, these sessions will help owners build and test ways to use ChatGPT on real business tasks and leave with a plan for putting those tools into practice. SBDC advisors will follow up afterward to help owners work through questions and see what’s proving useful.

Our partnership with America’s SBDC extends that work through advisors who already support owners in their communities. Throughout the pilot, we’ll follow up with owners to understand what’s helping, what they’re still using, and where they need more support. What we learn will shape the training and resources we develop together.

The pilot will combine training for local advisors with opportunities for owners to learn, practice, and get ongoing help:

Training and credentialing advisors. America’s SBDC plans to select small business advisors for an OpenAI Academy training and credentialing pathway focused on helping small businesses apply AI. Through this training, we’re combining SBDC’s community expertise and trusted advisor relationships with AI tools, helping advisors equip owners to choose a useful starting point, use AI responsibly, and assess whether it’s helping their business. Advisors and staff will also prepare to lead group sessions through a separate facilitator pathway and small-business workshop module.

Resources shaped by business needs. Together with America’s SBDC, we will create practical guides to putting AI to work and one companion guide focused on specific industries , shared across OpenAI Academy and America’s SBDC channels . Potential topics include marketing, operations, manufacturing, exporting, and government contracting. The guides will reflect what we learn from workshops and advising.