A problem for people who use AI
How small businesses use AI, and for what
Graduates of a US program for small businesses
Trial responses exist; effect of new support unconfirmed
The survey was August 10–24, 2026, the report is the October issue, and the support announcement is October 22.
Editorial check: 2026-10-23
What people are paying attention to
A survey of graduates of a small-business program shows interest in how to apply AI to their own business and in additional training and materials.
What is hard
Non-users are concerned about unclear usage, data protection and inaccurate output. The barrier questions cover AI in general.
Workarounds being tried
Self-directed trials and online exchange are reported. The organization also announced on October 22 the establishment of a training institute.
What the sources confirm
The results of the new training have not been shown yet. Whether the self-directed trials and exchange reduced worries about use and data protection is also untested.
What is still unclear
Whether training helps judgments about use and data protection for each business, and what takes hold in the work, cannot be confirmed from these sources.
Workarounds and results in more detail
Try it on their own and consult online
Answered that they did it
Reported as a way of practicing, but there is no comparative evaluation of the effect.
Scope and limits: Answers from graduates of the same program
Provide courses and workshops for small businesses
Support announced; results unconfirmed
Announced the establishment of a training institute. The effect after it is provided is unconfirmed.
Scope and limits: Support measure announced in the US by Goldman Sachs
Read with care
- These are voluntary responses from a specific program, not the interest or usage of all US small businesses.
- The barrier survey on AI in general and the usage rate of generative AI chatbots are separate questions.
- The survey and the support announcement are materials from the same organization, not two independent observations.
What to check next
Changes before and after participation, and continued use and failure examples in concrete work.
In a small business, connect drafts of announcements and operations to real work
In a survey of US training graduates, 86% of AI users use a generative AI chatbot. A wedding venue owner in the report uses AI for a posting schedule and draft announcements, venue layout ideas, and operations manuals. They describe a use that reduces the burden of thinking from a blank page at the end of a busy day.
Meanwhile, 45% of non-users answered that they did not know how to apply it to their business. Respondents rely on self-directed trials and online exchange, and the organization plans practical courses and workshops. From this source we cannot tell the time spent fixing generated drafts before handing them to real work, nor the effect on retention after training or on sales. The respondents are graduates of a specific program, and the barrier questions cover AI in general. Editorially, a hypothesis to test is to pick one task repeated every week and run it through input, checking and approval.
Questions to think with
- Take one recent announcement or operations document: where did time go among starting, drafting, fact-checking and approval?
- To hand the same work over next time, are the usable input materials, the conditions to check and the final decision-maker in place?
Editing that checked the primary sources. The questions to check in your own work are proposals for verification.