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6 min readSmall business AI forum tour: what owners are asking
The U.S. Chamber's small business AI forum, the questions owners are asking, and a practical plan for choosing AI tools and checking whether they pay.
The small business AI forum is a single stop on a national tour, and it's useful only if you leave with a tool to test and a way to judge it. If you run a small firm and feel behind on AI, you are not alone. About two-thirds of small businesses now use it, according to Spectrum News. The real questions are which tools to try, what they cost to run and how you'll know they paid off.
What the small business AI forum was, and whether to follow it
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted its Small Business AI Forum at Murphy's Naturals with The Loading Dock in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was one stop on the Chamber's six-week Free Enterprise Express Opportunity Tour, which runs through 20 states and more than 50 events.
The Chamber's write-up leads with one finding: 47% of small businesses say AI is creating jobs at their firm, against 6% reporting headcount reductions. That's useful for a sceptic, but it says little about tools, prices or training. Read the coverage for the headline, then decide if a day away is worth it.
Our advice: go if your city is on the route and you can name one problem to bring. Ask the organisers who is speaking, whether vendors are selling on the day, and what follow-up material they send. If you can't attend, follow the tour's listings and read the Chamber's report in full.
What the Chamber's research says AI is doing to small business jobs and growth
These are owners' own answers, so treat them as a read on sentiment, not a measured result.
Most owners who ask whether AI will replace their people are really asking whether it will pay for itself. The 47% figure suggests that, among those surveyed, AI is mostly taking on work so existing people can do more. For growth, aim AI at one named job, such as replying to enquiries or chasing invoices, and measure that job alone.
How many small businesses already use AI, and what that means for a laggard
Spectrum News reports that about two-thirds of small businesses now use AI. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the share of small businesses using AI has nearly tripled in the last three years. Both point the same way: the question has moved from whether to use AI to how well you use it.
If you're not using it yet, you're behind most of your competitors, and that's fixable. You can learn from the mistakes others have made and skip the tools that get lots of talk but little delivery. Start with one task, not a platform rollout. Ask where you lose the most hours each week. Replies, invoices, bookings and reports are the usual suspects.
Which AI tools small businesses are using and how to shortlist them
Tool lists are mostly written by vendors, so judge tools by criteria rather than by rankings. Before you pay, check five things: what the tool does with your customer data, whether it connects to what you already use (email, calendar, accounting), who supports you when it breaks, what it costs per month at your real volume, and whether you can leave without losing your records.
Then sort tools by job: a customer-facing assistant for enquiries, automation for invoices and follow-ups, and reporting for the numbers you check weekly. Our guide to the best AI automation tools for small business covers these categories in more detail. Test two tools for a month, not six, and keep the one whose output you'd trust with a customer on the phone.
Where owners get stuck: budget, skills, governance and proving return
Budget is the first block. Most owners don't know what a tool will cost once usage grows, so price it at three times your current volume before you sign. The cost depends on the tool, the number of users and whether you need a builder to set it up, so get written quotes.
Skills are the second. Name one person who owns the tool and give them an hour a week for it. Without an owner, the tool sits idle and the subscription keeps running.
Governance is the one owners skip. Before any staff member pastes customer details into an AI tool, agree what can and can't go in. Our piece on AI data protection for UK small businesses sets out what to do first. Write a one-page rule covering approved tools, banned data and who signs off new tools.
Proving return is the last block. Vendor dashboards report usage and time saved on their own terms, so keep your own record: hours before, hours after, and money in and out.
Why do so many AI projects fail to pay off? AI Business Forum, a membership site, cites an MIT figure that 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing, and a Goldman Sachs 2026 finding that 73% of small businesses would benefit from more resources to get AI right. The MIT figure covers companies in general, not small firms, and the Goldman figure reaches us only through that membership site, so check the originals before you quote them. In our view, projects stall when owners pick a vague use, not because of the software.
Free and low-cost AI training and events for small business owners
Yes, training exists, and event listings promise free webinars and local sessions. Before you give an hour to one, check four things: who runs it, what the syllabus covers, whether it uses examples from firms your size, and whether it ends in a sales pitch. A free session that ends in a pitch is still a sales call.
In the US, two free, long-running options are your local Small Business Development Center and SCORE mentors. Call them before you pay for a course. Paid training costs depend on format and length, so ask for the price and refund terms before you book.
Worked example: measuring a tool's return (made-up numbers)
The numbers below are made up to show the method. Replace them with your own.
Inputs:
- Hours saved per week: 5
- Staff cost per hour: $30
- Working weeks per year: 48
- Tool subscription per month: $60
- One-off setup cost: $400
Sum:
- Annual time saved: 5 × $30 × 48 = $7,200
- Annual subscription: $60 × 12 = $720
- Setup: $400
- Net first-year gain: $7,200 − $720 − $400 = $6,080
Run the same sum after 90 days using logged hours, not the vendor's estimate. If the saved hours are fewer, the sum shrinks, and you'll know early. Our guide on how to measure AI automation ROI in a small business covers the full method.
Next steps: a 30-day plan for an owner starting from scratch
- Week 1: List the three tasks that eat the most hours. Pick one.
- Week 2: Write a one-page AI rule covering approved tools, banned data and a sign-off owner.
- Week 3: Shortlist two tools against the five checks above and get written quotes.
- Week 4: Run one tool on your chosen task, log hours before and after, and review the numbers.
If you want a second pair of eyes on which task to start with, get a free AI plan or book a call with our team. The Free AI Audit is a 30-minute call with a strategist, with no card and no obligation, and you leave with your top 10 tasks AI could take over and a plan you can keep.
Sources
Questions people ask
What is the small business AI forum?
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted one in Raleigh, North Carolina, as a stop on its six-week Free Enterprise Express Opportunity Tour. The Chamber's write-up highlights a finding that 47% of small businesses say AI is creating jobs at their firm. If your city is on the route, go with one specific problem to bring.
What AI should small businesses use in 2026?
No single tool suits every firm, so shortlist by the job you want done, such as enquiries, invoices or reporting. Check how the tool handles customer data, whether it connects to your existing software, who supports you, and what it costs per month at your real volume. Our guide to the best AI automation tools for small business covers the main categories.
Is AI training available for small business owners?
Yes, including free webinars and local sessions, though quality varies. Check who runs the session, what the syllabus covers, whether it uses examples from firms your size and whether it ends in a sales pitch. In the US, Small Business Development Centers and SCORE mentors are free places to start.
Are small businesses using AI to create jobs or cut staff?
According to the U.S. Chamber's Empowering Small Business report, 47% of small businesses say AI is creating jobs at their firm, while 6% report headcount reductions. These are owners' own answers, not audited results. Track your own hours and staffing before and after any change to see what happens in your business.
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