New funding and training to support U.S. small business growth and innovation with AI

Small businesses are the lifeblood of communities everywhere. And they are embracing technology. More than half of small business leaders already say that AI tools are critical to the success of their businesses. This includes Chicago-based Heritage Bikes & Coffee, which is using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to help with everything from costing out kitchen supplies to onboarding new employees.

At Google, we’re empowering small businesses with the tools to succeed in the age of AI. Today at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce CO-100 conference, we announced new funding and training as a part of our AI Works initiative which helps Americans and American businesses put AI to work.

$5 million in Google.org funding to reach 40K U.S. businesses

For small businesses to truly benefit from AI, they need access to training across a range of tools. That’s why Google.org is providing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce $5M in funding to develop and launch Small Business B(AI)sics, a national AI training program to equip 40,000 U.S. small businesses with foundational AI skills. This effort is supported by Google.org’s AI Opportunity Fund, an initiative that helps Americans develop essential AI skills by funding best-in-class workforce development and education organizations across critical segments of society.