House Passes Bills Requiring SBA to Help Small Businesses Adopt AI

The House of Representatives passed two bills Tuesday (Jan. 20) that would require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to help small businesses adopt artificial intelligence (AI).

The AI for Main Street Act (HR 5764), sponsored by Rep. Mark Alford, R-Missouri, requires the SBA’s Small Business Development Centers to provide guidance, training and outreach that will help small businesses evaluate, adopt and use AI, Alford said in a Tuesday press release.

“Main Street stands at the doorstep of a major transformation because the AI revolution isn’t just coming, it’s already here,” Alford said in the release. “We’re ensuring entrepreneurs and job creators aren’t left behind.”

The other bill passed by the House, the Artificial Intelligence Wisdom for Innovative Small Enterprises Act (AI-WISE Act; HR 5784), sponsored by Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Michigan, requires the SBA to add AI literacy resources to its existing online learning platform.

These resources will help small businesses understand how AI tools work, evaluate the tools’ risks and benefits, protect privacy and decide whether to adopt the technology, Scholten said in a Tuesday press release.

Both the AI-WISE Act and the AI for Main Street Act will provide guidance to help small businesses use AI tools responsible and effectively, Scholten said.

“These bipartisan bills will support small businesses as AI reshapes our economy by ensuring Main Street has the same access to expertise and support as large corporations,” Scholten said. “The bills will give our small businesses much-needed tools to evaluate new technologies, protect their data and use AI in ways that actually make sense for their operations.”

The AI for Main Street Act passed the House on a vote of 395 to 14, while the AI-Wise Act passed by a voice vote, according to Congress.gov.

The bills now head to the Senate for consideration, per Scholten’s press release.

PYMNTS reported in June that AI enables small businesses to leap into an AI-first business model that can rival what large incumbents offer by automating processes, augmenting talent and accelerating decision-making.

When the two bills were introduced in November, PYMNTS reported that they focus on training, education and advisory support at a time when many small businesses are exploring AI but lack the resources to implement it effectively.