Helping small businesses put AI to work
OpenAI announced a partnership with America's SBDC to expand hands-on AI training for US small businesses. Here is how to use it.
This week, OpenAI announced a partnership with America's SBDC to expand hands-on AI training and local support for US small businesses.
OpenAI published the news in its announcement, alongside a new report on how small teams are using AI.
The practical upshot for an owner: the training is meant to reach you through the existing SBDC network, which provides local small-business advising.
What did OpenAI and America's SBDC announce?
OpenAI says it is working with America's SBDC to expand hands-on AI training and local support for small businesses across the United States, and it released a report on how small teams are using AI at the same time.
Read that report directly for its findings and methodology. This article covers what the partnership means for the person running the business.
America's SBDC is a non-profit association that represents the nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers, which are hosted by universities, colleges, state economic development agencies, and other partners. The SBDC program is a resource partner of the US Small Business Administration.
That is the reason the news is worth an owner's attention: AI guidance is being routed through a local resource many small businesses already use.
According to OpenAI's announcement, OpenAI says it plans to train roughly 150 SBDC advisors, reach at least 1,000 small businesses in person, run three-hour ChatGPT workshops, and have at least one workshop hosted by each participating network in an initial phase. Per-center timing is not spelled out, so check OpenAI's announcement and America's SBDC for updates, and ask your local center what it is running now.
How can small businesses get AI training through their SBDC?
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Centers operate in every US state and territory, and SBDC advising is generally provided at no cost to the small business owner.
America's SBDC provides a directory for finding local Small Business Development Centers at americassbdc.org. OpenAI's announcement does not break out what the AI training itself costs, and any software subscription you adopt afterward is yours to choose and pay for.
Three habits make the appointment worth the drive.
Show up with a task, not a topic. "Help me use AI" gets you a general overview. "I want ChatGPT to draft the weekly email I send to my 40 maintenance-contract customers, in my voice, using last week's service notes" gets you something you can run on Monday. Other examples of a specific ask:
- Draft standard operating procedures for onboarding a new technician, starting from the messy notes in your phone.
- Turn a two-page inspection report into a concise, plain-English summary for the homeowner.
- Write the list of questions you want to ask your accountant before year-end.
- Rewrite 60 product or service descriptions that were copied from a supplier catalog.
Bring your actual materials. Past emails, a recent quote, three customer reviews you responded to, an export of last month's transactions. An advisor can do more with your real text than with a hypothetical. Remove passwords, account numbers, tax IDs, and unnecessary customer information before you share files, and ask the advisor which tools will receive the data.
Know the tradeoff. This is training and enablement. You still choose the tools you adopt and pay for whatever plan you land on.
A prep sheet you can bring to your first session
Fill this out before you go. It takes about ten minutes and it changes the quality of the hour.
SBDC AI SESSION PREP SHEET
Business name:
What we do (one sentence):
Number of people, including me:
Tools we already pay for (banking, accounting, CRM, scheduling, email):
THE THREE TASKS THAT EAT MY WEEK
1. Task: ____________ Hours/week: ____ Who does it now: ____
2. Task: ____________ Hours/week: ____ Who does it now: ____
3. Task: ____________ Hours/week: ____ Who does it now: ____
FOR TASK #1 (the one I want help with today)
What "done" looks like:
Where the input comes from (inbox, notes, invoices, transaction export):
Who sees the output (customer, employee, accountant, nobody):
What would go wrong if it were wrong:
MY DATA, HONESTLY
Business and personal money are in separate accounts: Y / N
Transactions are categorized in accounting software: Y / N
I have one list of customers in one place: Y / N
I can export last month's revenue by customer: Y / N
QUESTIONS FOR THE ADVISOR
1.
2.
3.Who is the OpenAI–SBDC program for?
Based on the announcement, the work is aimed at small business owners who want a practical starting point with AI and who have not yet built it into how they run the business. Examples include a two-person bookkeeping practice, an electrician with a small office team, or a freelance designer handling sales and collections alone.
Solopreneurs and very small teams may find these use cases practical because the same person often handles several business functions. A 200-person company has a marketing department. A three-person HVAC shop has an owner writing the marketing emails at 9 p.m.
Eligibility rules and the task categories advisors will cover are not in the announcement. Your local center is the place to ask.
What AI use cases work for a small business right now?
Bring materials you already have, with passwords, account numbers, and tax IDs removed first.
Here are four tasks a small business owner could bring to an advisor. Each one is an example, not a capability the announcement promises.
Customer communication. Drafting quotes and follow-ups, answering the same five pre-sale questions, and writing responses to reviews in a voice that sounds like you rather than like a call center. Feed it three responses you wrote yourself so it has something to imitate.
Back office. Turning a voice memo into a written SOP, cleaning up service or product descriptions, drafting a job post for an apprentice, and creating a plain-English overview that helps a client understand the main terms of a contract.
Bookkeeping prep. Cleaning up cryptic transaction descriptions, drafting expense memos that explain what a charge was for, and writing the list of questions you want to bring to your accountant. This is preparation for a professional, not a replacement for one. Novo does not provide tax, legal, or financial advice, and neither does a chatbot.
Sales and marketing. Taking one thing you already made, such as a job walkthrough video or a case study, and turning it into an email, a few social posts, and a section of a landing page.
Generative AI can invent numbers, cite nonexistent regulations, or misstate deadlines, so a person should verify customer-facing, tax-related, and legal output. In a small business, that person is usually you. Nothing in this article is tax, legal, or accounting advice.
Why does clean business data make AI training more useful?
The quality of AI output about your business is capped by the quality of your records.
Say you want to summarize last month's revenue by customer. Pull a customer-level report from your payment processor, invoicing system, or accounting software. Bank deposits help you reconcile totals, but a processor payout can bundle several customers together, and it will differ from gross revenue once processor fees, refunds, and timing are accounted for. If your business income sits in a personal checking account next to a grocery run and your kid's soccer fees, you get either nothing useful or a confident answer that is wrong.
Three things do most of the work:
- Separated business banking. One account where business money comes in and goes out, so revenue is a figure you can export rather than a number you reconstruct.
- Categorized transactions. Accounting software that syncs transactions automatically can provide more current records than a spreadsheet updated only at tax time.
- One customer list. Not one in your phone, one in your email, and one on a clipboard.
Do the cleanup first, then bring a specific question to your SBDC advisor. If your revenue data is not available in an exportable report, use the session to work out which records you need before attempting an AI analysis.
How does Novo fit alongside SBDC AI training?
Novo business checking has no monthly fee and no minimum balance requirement, and it integrates with Stripe, Square, PayPal, QuickBooks Online, Xero, and FreshBooks.
Payment processor payouts go to your Novo account, and those processors' own fees apply. QuickBooks Online, Xero, and FreshBooks sync Novo transactions automatically. You can link your Novo account details to Shopify Payments to receive your store's payouts directly into your account. Before you use any of this with an AI tool, export the data and read it yourself.
Specifics worth knowing:
- Novo charges no fee for incoming wires. That matters the first time a new commercial client pays a five-figure invoice by wire.
- With Novo Invoices you can send unlimited invoices at no additional cost, from the app or the web, and clients can pay by ACH, check, or card through Stripe, Square, or PayPal. Those processors' fees apply to card payments.
- You can add up to 5 automatic reminders per invoice.
- Novo Reserves is a budgeting feature within the Novo checking account, and you can create up to 20 Reserves.
Novo does not accept cash deposits, so cash-heavy businesses need a plan for depositing cash elsewhere. You can deposit a money order or cashier's check with mobile check deposit, transfer from another bank, or receive payouts from a payment processor.
Applications are completed online and most take about 10 to 15 minutes. Most are reviewed within 24 hours, and some take up to 72 hours. Eligibility is subject to final Novo determination.
Frequently asked questions
Is SBDC AI training free?
SBDC advising is generally provided at no cost to the small business owner, according to the SBA. OpenAI's announcement does not break out costs for the AI training specifically, so ask your local center before you book.
Who qualifies for the OpenAI SBDC program?
OpenAI's announcement does not specify eligibility rules. It describes the effort as aimed at small business owners who want a practical starting point with AI and have not yet built it into their workflow. Contact your local SBDC to ask who can participate.
When did OpenAI and America's SBDC announce the partnership?
OpenAI published the announcement in late September 2026.
How do I find my local SBDC?
Use the America's SBDC directory to find the nearest center and confirm whether it offers remote or in-person appointments.
What AI tools does the SBDC program cover?
The program is built around OpenAI's tools. OpenAI plans to deliver it through three-hour ChatGPT workshops, with at least one workshop hosted by each participating network. For the current list and any changes, check OpenAI's announcement and your local SBDC directly.
What should I do before my first AI session with an advisor?
Separate your business banking from your personal accounts, get your transactions syncing into accounting software, and write down the three tasks that take the most time in your week. Bring the prep sheet above.
Source: Helping small businesses put AI to work, OpenAI News, September 2026.
Disclosures
Novo Platform Inc. ("Novo") is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services provided by Middlesex Federal Savings, F.A., Member FDIC. Eligibility subject to final Novo determination.
Novo Reserves is not a separate account. Novo Reserves is a budgeting feature within the Novo checking account. All funds within Reserves remain a part of the overall balance of the Novo checking account.
Novo Platform Inc. strives to provide accurate information but cannot guarantee that this content is correct, complete, or up-to-date. This page is for informational purposes only and is not financial or legal advice nor an endorsement of any third-party products or services. All products and services are presented without warranty. Novo Platform Inc. does not provide any financial or legal advice, and you should consult your own financial, legal, or tax advisors.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as legal, financial, or accounting advice. Please consult your own professional if you have any questions.