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U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Maria Cantwell introduced a bipartisan bill called the Small Business Artificial Intelligence Training Act. The bill would let the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) work with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to create and share training resources that help small businesses use artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations.
Kansas has over 273,000 small businesses, employing more than 590,000 people, while Washington has nearly 696,000 small businesses with 1.5 million workers. A recent report shows that 83% of U.S. small business owners who use AI find it helpful for tasks like accounting, customer communication, social media, and reducing paperwork.
The bill would:
- Create AI training resources and toolkits for small businesses, coordinated by the DOC and SBA.
- Offer guidance on using AI for finance, planning, marketing, supply chains, government contracts, exporting, and advanced manufacturing. Special focus would go to rural, tribal, and underserved communities.
- Share training through SBA partners, including Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, SCORE, Veteran Business Opportunity Centers, and the Apex Accelerator.
- Allow the Commerce Secretary to give grants to organizations offering AI training, with at least 25% of funds going to small businesses in rural or underserved areas.
- Require updates to training materials every two years and report to Congress every two years on the program’s impact.
This bill aims to help small businesses adopt AI tools, improve efficiency, and grow their operations.
