Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI and America's SBDC launch training pilot
America's SBDC said it had partnered with OpenAI on a pilot to train advisers, run local AI workshops for more than 1,000 small businesses and provide free ChatGPT Plus access to participants.
- America's SBDC announced a partnership with OpenAI on 30 September 2026.
- The pilot would train SBDC advisers through OpenAI Academy so they could lead local workshops for small businesses in states across the United States.
- Advisers and clients who completed the workshops would receive free access to ChatGPT Plus.
- The two organisations said they would co-develop playbooks and sector-specific resources after the initial rollout.
America's SBDC said it had started a partnership with OpenAI to expand practical AI training for small business owners across the United States. The announcement said the pilot would equip SBDC advisers with OpenAI training so they could run workshops locally.
The programme was set to reach more than 1,000 small businesses, and the organisers said participants who completed the in-person sessions would receive free access to ChatGPT Plus. They also said the pilot would be rolled out in phases over the coming months.
Charles "Tee" Rowe, the president and chief executive of America's SBDC, said the agreement would give advisers extra training and resources. Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, said the partnership was meant to pair AI tools with local advisers who knew their communities.
The organisations said they would later develop playbooks and sector-specific materials to extend the training beyond the first states. America's SBDC said its network represented 63 member organisations and nearly 1,000 local centres, and said its most recent annual report showed clients had secured more than $5.53 billion in capital.
Named in this story
People
- Charles "Tee" Rowe
- president and chief executive of America's SBDC who backed the partnership
- Chris Lehane
- OpenAI chief global affairs officer who described the aim of the partnership
Companies
- OpenAI
- is partnering with America's SBDC and will provide training through OpenAI Academy
Organisations
- America's SBDC
- announced the partnership and will recruit SBDC advisers for the pilot
- Small Business Development Centers
- the nationwide network whose advisers will deliver the workshops
Products and systems
- OpenAI Academy
- will train SBDC advisers for the workshops
- ChatGPT Plus
- will be given free to people who complete the in-person workshops
How the source tells it
The piece was written as a promotional press release, with self-justifying claims and emotional language from the parties involved.
- vendor boosterism the companies’ own claims were repeated as the main evidence for the programme’s value
- human-interest framing ordinary local businesses were invoked through vivid examples to make the initiative feel personal