OpenAI Partners with America's SBDC for Small Business AI

OpenAI announced a partnership with America's SBDC on September 30, 2026. The new pilot program aims to train around 150 Small Business Development Center advisors and reach at least 1,000 small businesses through in-person workshops and advising.

The initiative will certify SBDC advisors through the OpenAI Academy's Community Trainer Program. These advisors will then lead local, hands-on AI workshops for entrepreneurs. America's SBDC, which serves one million entrepreneurs annually, expects many more small businesses to benefit through subsequent one-on-one advising and shared resources.

Small Business AI Adoption Doubles in Key Areas

A report released by OpenAI on the same day, titled Small Businesses, Bigger Capabilities, details rapid adoption. In the week of September 9-15, 2026, nearly 4 million small-firm employees globally used OpenAI's tools. Nearly one in five worked at a business with fewer than 10 employees.

Agentic output from small businesses-using products like ChatGPT Work and Codex-doubled between April and August 2026. By August, it constituted two-thirds of all small business output tokens. This growth is concentrated in specific operational areas.

The report found that small-business users focus their AI agent interactions on core business functions far more than larger companies do. The following table shows the areas where small-business user interactions are at least three times larger a share than for larger-business users.

Founders Use AI for Pricing, Research, and Product Development

Small business owners are already deploying these tools for critical decisions. Ted and Tami Taylor, who run three restaurants in New Mexico, used ChatGPT Work to analyze competitors' menu prices. Ted Taylor said, "We would otherwise have skipped the comparison." The analysis helped them avoid uncompetitive price increases.

Teri Moten used the tool to research South Texas school districts and prepare tailored outreach. She reports booking a paid training session within ten days.

Elizabeth Rider built her meal-planning app, Butler, with a tiny team of three developers and a designer. She used ChatGPT to model pricing, user growth, and product decisions. Larissa Guetter, co-founder of the ATV Big Air Tour, says ChatGPT Work enables her two-person team to compete with larger organizations. It does work that would otherwise require multiple staff members.

Other applications are diverse. Allison Leeds organized research and developed weekly art cards, launching a creative solopreneur business. Goliath Data uses Codex and ChatGPT Work to turn customer requests into software features and monitor systems overnight. Tom Tomaszewski uses the tools for product development, customer support, and administration at his two-person startup, freddy.coach.

Free Access and Co-Developed Resources for Participants

The SBDC pilot includes concrete incentives. Advisors and their small business clients who complete the workshops will receive free access to ChatGPT Plus. OpenAI will follow up with owners to see what tools they continue using and where they need more support.

Learnings will shape future resources. Beyond the pilot, the organizations plan to co-develop practical playbooks and sector-specific guides. The goal is to help entrepreneurs build skills for streamlining operations, improving customer service, and making better decisions.

The pilot will roll out in phases over the coming months with additional details to be announced as the program moves toward launch.