The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted a Small Business AI Forum at Murphy's Naturals in partnership with The Loading Dock in Raleigh, North Carolina. The event was a stop on the Chamber’s Free Enterprise Express Opportunity Tour, a national six-week bus tour promoting free enterprise.
U.S. Chamber Senior Vice President Courtney Felts and Senior Vice President of Small Business Policy Tom Sullivan led the forum, which brought together local small business leaders and regional chamber representatives to discuss how artificial intelligence is changing the way small businesses operate and grow.
The conversation highlighted findings from the Chamber's newly released Empowering Small Business: The Impact of Technology on U.S. Small Business report, which found that 47% of small businesses say AI is creating jobs at their firms, compared with just 6% that report headcount reductions. The
nearly eight-to-one advantage in job creation over job reductions turns the conventional wisdom about AI on its head.
“Small businesses in North Carolina and across the country are using AI to boost productivity, drive growth, and better serve their customers,” said Felts. “Our research shows that entrepreneurs are putting these tools to work to strengthen their businesses and communities. To keep that momentum going, we must preserve a free enterprise system that encourages innovation and allows businesses to grow and compete.”
The national Free Enterprise Express Opportunity Tour is a six-week trip through 20 states and more than 50 events to make the case for free enterprise in communities across America and push back against growing support for government-directed economic policies that threaten economic freedom, opportunity, innovation, and growth.
The effort is part of a broader Chamber initiative, the New Fight for Free Enterprise, a multi-year effort to organize, mobilize, and make the case for free enterprise everywhere public opinion is shaped, public policy is made, and future generations learn what it takes for people and communities to thrive.
Article produced by the US Chamber of Commerce