On October 22, Goldman Sachs launched a Small Business AI Institute as part of a new $500 million commitment to its 10,000 Small Businesses program. According to the release, it will deliver AI education to owners, publish research on small-business AI use, and support AI-enabled access to capital. Google, Anthropic, OpenAI and Meta are named partners.
The release cites a survey of more than 2,400 program graduates:
- "86 percent reported using AI in their business," up from 56 percent in 2024.
- "Only 15 percent said that AI is fully integrated into their core operations."
- "More than three-quarters" said they could use additional training and resources.
These are graduates of a Goldman program, not a random sample of small businesses. The release doesn't say who ran the survey, when, or its margin of error.
On access, the release says Google will offer its AI Professional certificate to almost 20,000 small business owners and employees, including three months of no-cost Google AI Pro. It gives no eligibility rules or application process and points readers to gs.com/SBAI.
What it means for an SMB
- Using AI isn't the same as running on it. For each tool you pay for, ask whether it's part of a core process or a side tool someone opens now and then.
- Define "integrated" for one process. Name an owner, the steps AI handles, a reviewer, and a measure. Our document intake extractor reference build shows one way to lay it out.
- Check eligibility before you plan around the training. The release doesn't say who qualifies.
- Treat the percentages as directional. They describe one program's alumni.