At Shell Campground in Wyoming, a familiar business problem has become an AI experiment: answering the questions guests ask again and again. An October report from Goldman Sachs describes owner Kevin Clark’s custom assistant, Shelly, taking routine inquiries through the campground’s website and telephone. The case suggests a practical ambition for entrepreneurs: make more room in the day for the work only their team can do.

On October 22, Goldman Sachs announced a Small Business AI Institute with Anthropic, Google, Meta and OpenAI. It forms part of a new $500 million commitment to the next chapter of 10,000 Small Businesses, intended to provide education, access to capital and support services to another 10,000 businesses. That is a program commitment, rather than an announcement of $500 million in grants available directly to applicants.

Initial plans include an applied-AI learning series with Anthropic, workshops for program alumni, and workshops with OpenAI through community-college partners. Goldman Sachs also says it will work with Google to deliver its AI Professional certificate to almost 20,000 owners and employees, including three months of no-cost Google AI Pro access. These are announced activities; readers should check the Institute’s official page for participation details and dates rather than assume every course is already open.

The accompanying research helps explain the emphasis on implementation. A Babson College survey conducted August 10–24 received responses from 2,473 program alumni out of 14,967 contacted. Among respondents, 86 percent reported using AI, while 15 percent described it as fully integrated into core operations. This is a survey of a particular graduate community, not a representative measurement of every American small business.

Clark’s example and the survey come from the initiative’s sponsor. They are useful accounts of possible applications, but they are not independent audits of accuracy, savings or business growth. Nor does a custom assistant described in a case study necessarily arrive as a ready-made product another campground can install. The opportunity lies in the underlying task: helping people find reliable information without asking staff to repeat it all day.

For an entrepreneur considering a first trial, a sensible starting point is a small set of approved answers to common questions. Ask a tool to draft responses, have someone check each against current business policies, and compare the time spent reviewing with the time previously spent writing. Keep a route to a person for exceptions. A system that produces confident errors or creates more correction work has not earned a larger role.

Budget for the whole workflow: subscriptions, setup, staff learning and ongoing review. The announced three-month access offer should not be treated as a promise of permanently free software. Before connecting customer records, check the service’s privacy terms and access controls; use sample or non-sensitive information while testing. Keep people responsible for commitments made to customers.

Readers can explore the Institute’s official resources and the existing 10,000 Small Businesses application route below. Confirm eligibility and the terms of each opportunity directly. Practical training will be most valuable when it helps an owner turn a specific obstacle into a tested improvement—and gives employees the understanding to maintain it.

Image note: Aleksi Tappura’s 2014 photograph shows a generic desk workspace, not Shell Campground or an Institute event. It is used unmodified under CC0 1.0. This article was prepared with AI assistance from the linked sources; it contains no firsthand reporting.

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Produced with AI assistance for Vision Building. Sources and image credits are provided on this page.