A development center run by the Small Business Administration would be equipped to serve customers interested in artificial intelligence under a bipartisan Senate bill introduced Wednesday.
The AI for Main Street bill from Sens. Todd Young, R-Indiana, and Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, would direct the SBA's Small Business Development Center to expand support and training on all things AI, including how to use emerging technologies to streamline business operations, improve cybersecurity, protect data and intellectual property, and better plan for the unexpected.
“As artificial intelligence becomes an essential tool in the workplace, small businesses should not be left behind,” Cantwell said in a press release. “This legislation will help provide thousands of Washington state small businesses with guidance and training on how to leverage AI to help their businesses grow and thrive.”
“This bill will provide training, guidance and assistance to ensure more American small businesses have the tools they need to compete in today's evolving digital economy,” added Young, who serves with Cantwell on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.
The Senate bill has companions in the House, led by Rep. Mark Alford, Republican of Missouri, and Rep. Hilary Scholten, Democrat of Michigan. — dropped from the committee last year but did not receive a vote on the floor.
Alford noted in the November Markup that the bill builds on an SBDC initiative known as the AI U program, which is backed by Google and makes one-on-one coaching and other AI training resources available to small businesses.
Scholten led another bipartisan SBA bill focused on AI last year, the AI-WISE Act, which also awaits a full House vote. The bill would direct the SBA Administrator to create AI educational resources and learning modules that are hosted on existing agency platforms.
Meanwhile, Cantwell was the author of the Small Business Artificial Intelligence Training Act of 2024, which required the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop and distribute AI-related resources to small businesses. The bill was introduced in committee but was never taken up by the full floor.
