**Short answer:** On October 22, 2026, Goldman Sachs announced a $500 million Small Business AI Institute, built with Anthropic, Google, Meta, and OpenAI to train small business owners and help them use AI in their operations. Goldman's own alumni survey found that 86% of its small business graduates use AI, but only 15% have fully built it into their core operations. For a business, the useful question is whether AI runs inside the work that brings in customers and money. Most owners have tried an AI tool. They have written a draft, summarized a document, or asked a chatbot a question. Fewer have connected AI to a process that runs every day, such as answering the phone, following up with a lead, or asking for a review after a job. Goldman's numbers give that gap a size. ## Key takeaways - Goldman Sachs committed $500 million to the Small Business AI Institute, part of its 10,000 Small Businesses program. - Its survey of 2,473 program alumni found 86% use AI, up from 56% in 2024, and 15% have fully integrated it into core operations. - More than three-quarters of the surveyed graduates said they could use more training and resources. - Free AI training already exists from the U.S. Chamber and Google, so an owner can start before enrolling in any paid or structured program. - A training course helps most when it is tied to one process you already measure. ## What Goldman announced The institute has three stated goals: deliver AI education to small business owners across the country, publish research on how small businesses use AI, and support AI-enabled expansion of access to capital. Goldman describes the institute as an extension of its 16-year commitment to small business growth through the 10,000 Small Businesses program. Anthropic will develop an applied AI learning series for small businesses. Google will deliver its Grow with Google AI Professional certificate to almost 20,000 owners and their employees, with three months of no-cost access to Google AI Pro. OpenAI will run AI workshops with 10,000 Small Businesses community college partners. Meta will offer AI tools and training through its Muse for Small Business effort. Goldman's release did not announce specific lending products or loan terms. Access to capital is one of the institute's stated goals, and the release does not describe anything owners can apply for yet. ## What the survey measured, and what it did not Goldman's survey covered 2,473 alumni of its 10,000 Small Businesses program, conducted by Babson College from August 10 to 24, 2026. The survey was sent to 14,967 alumni. Those are the people who completed the program, so the results describe that group. They do not describe every small business in the country. That matters for how you read the 86% and 15% figures. The alumni have already finished a business education program, so they may be further along than the average owner. Even so, the gap is useful. A business owner can see the same pattern in their own work: trying a tool is easy, and building it into a repeatable process is harder. ## Using AI and integrating AI are different steps Using AI means someone on the team opens a tool when they need one. Integrating AI means the tool runs as part of a process, with a clear input, a clear output, and a person who checks the result. Consider a service business that uses an AI assistant to write follow-up emails after a quote. The owner reads the drafts, sends a few, and feels faster. That is using AI. Integration looks different. The quote triggers the follow-up automatically, the reply comes back to the team, and someone reviews the messages each week. The result shows up as quotes that close. Most small businesses can make that jump one process at a time. Trying everything at once usually stalls. ## Free AI training you can start this month You don't need to wait for a formal program. Two free options are running now. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber Foundation launched Small Business B(AI)sics in April 2026, a free national AI training program for small business owners. Forbes reported that it starts with fundamentals rather than advanced tools. The Chamber's on-demand course says it takes about 30 minutes and covers prompts, workflows, and daily tasks. Google's Grow with Google program publishes AI tutorials for small businesses aimed at saving time and improving everyday productivity. Learn the basics from free training, then pick one process to test. Training with nothing to test turns into a list of tips. ## How to start with one process Pick a single task that happens every week and that you already track. Good candidates include the first reply to a web form, the follow-up after a missed call, or the review request after a completed job. Write down the current number: how long replies take, how many leads get a follow-up, or how many customers leave a review. Then give AI one job inside that process. Set a date 60 to 90 days out to compare the number. If it moved, expand carefully. If it did not, narrow the scope or stop. This is the same test we describe in our post on AI FOMO for small business. ## Where Velora fits Velora Media's AI Prompt & Workflow Pack is priced at $250. It includes 15 to 25 custom prompts and mini-workflows built around how your business actually operates, delivered as a Notion workspace and a PDF. The pack replaces generic prompts with ones tuned to your voice, your customers, and your steps. A prompt pack won't fix a broken process on its own. It works best for an owner who has already picked a process to test, like the examples above. If you're not sure which process to start with, the pack is a reasonable first step, and choosing the workflow is part of the work. Sales and bookings depend on the process and on how the team uses the tools. A training course or a prompt pack does not change that by itself. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Goldman Sachs AI Institute free? Goldman's announcement describes education, research, and tools for small business owners, and it says Google will provide three months of no-cost access to Google AI Pro for participants. The release does not state a single price for the institute itself. Check the program page at gs.com/SBAI for eligibility and terms before you apply. ### Who can take part in the institute? The release says it is aimed at small business owners across the country, and it names the 10,000 Small Businesses alumni for some workshops. Check the program page for current eligibility, since the release does not list every requirement. ### What is the difference between AI training and AI integration? Training teaches you how to use a tool. Integration connects the tool to a process that runs every day, with a clear input, output, and someone checking the results. Most owners need the first before the second. ### Does AI training guarantee better results? No. Training improves the skills of the people who use the tools. What the business gets from it depends on the process you choose, how you measure it, and whether someone reviews the output. ### Where should a small business start with AI training? Start with a free course, such as the Chamber's B(AI)sics or Google's business AI training. Then choose one weekly process you already track and test one AI task inside it for 60 to 90 days. ## Related reading For buying AI under pressure, see [AI FOMO for small business](/blog/ai-fomo-small-business-buy-the-problem-not-the-hype). For what small business owners should understand about AI right now, see [what small business owners really need to understand about AI](/blog/what-small-business-owners-need-to-understand-about-ai-now). For AI that answers messages for a business, see [AI agents are learning to text: will your business reply?](/blog/ai-agents-learning-to-text-business-ready-to-reply). ## Next step If you want to start with a tool built for your business, the [AI Prompt & Workflow Pack](/shop/ai-prompt-workflow-pack) is priced at $250 and delivered as a Notion workspace and PDF. ## Sources - Goldman Sachs, "Goldman Sachs Commits $500 Million to Launch Small Business AI Institute and Expand 10,000 Small Businesses," October 22, 2026. [goldmansachs.com](https://www.goldmansachs.com/pressroom/press-releases/2026/goldman-sachs-commits-500-million-to-launch-small-business-ai-institute) - Goldman Sachs, Small Business AI Institute program page, including the 2026 Alumni Survey source note (Babson College, August 10 to 24, 2026). [goldmansachs.com](https://www.goldmansachs.com/community-transformation/small-business-ai-institute) - Forbes, "AI Training For Small Businesses Goes Nationwide," May 21, 2026, on the U.S. Chamber's Small Business B(AI)sics program. [forbes.com](https://www.forbes.com/sites/eshachhabra/2026/05/21/ai-training-for-small-businesses-goes-nationwide/) - U.S. Chamber of Commerce, "Free AI Training for Small Business," on-demand course. [uschamber.com](https://www.uschamber.com/co/small-business-ai-training) - Grow with Google, "AI training and tools for small businesses." [grow.google](https://grow.google/ai-for-small-businesses/)