Empowering Texas Small Businesses with AI

Over the past two years, the number of small businesses utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) has more than doubled, with a recent report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce finding that nearly 60% of small businesses are using generative AI, with 82% of businesses saying AI has helped increase their workforce over the past year.

Ensuring Texas businesses of all sizes have the tools and training they need to stay ahead of the curve is a top priority for the Texas Association of Business (TAB), and we’ve been proud to work with technology leaders, business owners, and chambers of commerce across the state to help deliver this critical know-how to the people and businesses that continue to drive Texas’ record-breaking economic success.

Most recently, TAB was proud to co-host and participate inOpenAI’s Small Business AI Jam in Houston – one of five cities chosen for a nationwide initiative that brought together Texas entrepreneurs eager to learn how AI can be a game-changer for their operations. We were excited to join a dynamic set of partners including DoorDash, SCORE, and the Houston Area Urban League Entrepreneurship Center to host this important training session for local business leaders navigating the AI landscape to reach and engage more customers.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners from diverse industries – from retail to services to restaurants – gathered to explore how AI tools can streamline everything from customer service to marketing and content creation, helping unlock new levels of efficiency, creativity, and customer engagement. OpenAI’s team guided attendees through real-world use cases, demonstrating how AI can automate repetitive tasks, analyze data, and even assist in decision-making.

AI literacy is mission critical right now for anyone entering the workforce or starting a business, which is why initiatives like the recent Small Business AI Jam are so important. These sessions empower Texas business leaders to understand AI tools and incorporate them into their daily operations. As one local Houston-area entrepreneur said after the event:

“We’re in a moment where the gap between what large companies and small businesses can do with technology is narrowing. A business owner can now build tools for strategic planning, operations automation, or client analysis that would have required a development team and considerable budget just two years ago.”

Having attended several local workshops to support AI literacy among Texas small business owners, I’ve seen the transformative power of AI when businesses learn how to leverage it effectively – whether it’s using AI to optimize inventory management or to engage customers more personally, the possibilities and potential for growth are virtually endless.

OpenAI’s Small Business Jam follows several other recent successful workshops in Texas focused on empowering small businesses with resources to succeed in today’s ever-evolving technological landscape. These include workshops with Google in Richardson and Frisco teaching small businesses how to make AI work for their operations, Meta’s Community Accelerator program in San Antonio last month offering a free, AI-focused workshop for small businesses, and Amazon’s ‘Sellers in Your Community’ roundtable hosted at the TAB headquarters in Austin where Texas small business leaders shared success stories in reaching new markets for their products.

Texas is the undisputed leader in innovation, and with more than 3.1 million small businesses powering our roaring economy, it’s more essential than ever for them to have the tools and knowledge to stay on the cutting edge. TAB is proud to partner with leaders like OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Amazon to support initiatives that promote AI literacy and help businesses harness the power of new technologies fuel even more growth and prosperity in the years to come.

–Megan Mauro, Interim CEO, Texas Association of Business

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