Kerrigan and Kelly in Washington Reporter: Small Businesses Are Winning With AI. Policymakers Should Keep Up

By SBE Council at 11 November, 2026, 10:30 pm

"America's AI leadership will not be decided only in Silicon Valley. It will also be decided in millions of small offices, shops and job sites in every community."

In an op-ed published in the Washington Reporter, SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan and American Edge Project President & CEO Doug Kelly highlight how artificial intelligence is transforming small business competitiveness, productivity, and growth - and why policymakers must embrace a national approach that supports continued innovation and adoption.

Drawing on SBE Council's 2026 Technology Use Survey and new Goldman Sachs research, the authors point to accelerating AI adoption and significant economic benefits. SBE Council's survey found that 82% of small business employers use AI tools, two-thirds report AI-driven revenue gains, and 93% plan to continue investing in AI. These tools are helping businesses save time, lower costs, expand capacity, and create opportunities for workers.

Yet a growing patchwork of state AI regulations threatens to impose costly compliance burdens and undermine these gains. Kerrigan and Kelly call for a clear national AI framework, expanded training opportunities, and policies that encourage infrastructure investment, including data centers that generate jobs and business opportunities in local communities. As they noted in their piece:

"It matters which country builds the future, and Main Street is ready to help. Now policymakers need to do their part."

Their central message: America's AI leadership depends not only on technological breakthroughs, but on empowering millions of small businesses to put innovation to work.

Read the full op-ed in Washington Reporter