OpenAI has announced a partnership with America’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to help more small businesses implement AI into their operations. Through the OpenAI Academy’s Community Trainer Program, the initiative aims to train approximately 150 SBDC advisors and host hands-on workshops to reach at least 1,000 small businesses through in-person training and one-on-one advising.
OpenAI partners with America's SBDC to expand AI training for small businesses
The program will include training and credentialing for local advisors, focusing on helping business owners choose useful starting points, use AI responsibly, and assess its impact on their business. Additionally, OpenAI and the SBDC will develop practical guides covering topics such as marketing, operations, and manufacturing.
Alongside the partnership, OpenAI released a report titled "Small Businesses, Bigger Capabilities." The report reveals that in a single week in September, approximately 4 million employees at companies with fewer than 500 people used OpenAI’s tools. The data shows that agentic output tokens—the units AI models process and generate—accounted for two-thirds of all small business output tokens in August, up from one-third in April 2026. The report also noted that small-business users have significantly higher interaction rates with AI agents in areas such as finance, accounting, supply chain, legal, and marketing compared to larger businesses.
Sources
- Helping small businesses put AI to work （OpenAI News, 2026-09-30）