OpenAI has launched a small-business program that combines virtual training, in-person workshops, workflow guides and partner-built tools to help owners use ChatGPT for accounting, marketing, e-commerce and other routine work.
The ChatGPT for small businesses program will run product-specific webinars and in-person AI academies across the U.S. OpenAI also plans new guides, partner webinars and Q&As. Its announcement named Dropbox, Shopify, Intuit, Slack, Atlassian and Wix among providers of plugins, skills or special offers for common small-business workflows.
The description of a July 23 workshop in Monterey County, California, said participants would learn when to use Search, Data Analysis, Voice Mode and Projects. Guided work would cover tools such as customer FAQ assistants, proposal builders and onboarding and training coaches.
Addressing AI adoption barriers
OpenAI’s launch comes as some businesses in the Federal Reserve’s Eighth District report adoption barriers involving skills, data and technical infrastructure.
Among respondents reporting limited or no AI adoption, 38% named lack of skills, data or technical infrastructure as the main reason, while 34% said they did not yet see AI tools as useful for their business needs.
The regional survey was not restricted to small businesses, and the Fed’s published analysis does not give the number of respondents to the AI questions.
Self-reported time savings from previous events
OpenAI cited its 2025 Small Business AI Jam to support the new program’s hands-on training approach. Its after-action report says 530 owners attended events in five cities. In a post-event survey, 78% said they left with a functional workflow, although the report does not define how “functional” was assessed or disclose the number of respondents.
Another chart in the same report shows 21% reporting savings of five to 10 hours a week and another 21% reporting 10 or more hours. Those categories total 42%, although the lower band includes five hours while OpenAI’s launch announcement says 42% saved more than five hours a week. The savings were self-reported, and the report does not establish that the Jam caused those savings.
The launch announcement also cited a business owner’s account. “On one 30-page contractor quote, ChatGPT saved me at least 10 hours of data entry—a huge savings,” Kevin English, owner of Keg Built, said. The announcement does not describe how the estimate was calculated.
Features, pricing and privacy for ChatGPT Work
The program centers on ChatGPT Work, an agent OpenAI says can gather information from connected apps and files, create documents and work on multistep projects for hours. Users can review its progress and approve important actions, while scheduled tasks can repeat work or monitor changes.
OpenAI says ChatGPT Work is available in the desktop app on every ChatGPT plan, including Free. For companies opening a shared ChatGPT Business workspace, OpenAI requires at least two standard ChatGPT seats.
It charges $25 per user a month when billed monthly or $20 per user a month when billed annually in most countries, putting the minimum at $50 a month or $480 a year. Standard seats include ChatGPT and Codex, while Business workspaces can buy shared credits for usage beyond included rate limits.
OpenAI says it does not use Business workspace data to train its models by default unless users explicitly opt in through feedback mechanisms. Its admin documentation says apps and plugins are enabled by default in Business workspaces, but app access still requires user authentication or admin-controlled authorization. Administrators can disable access and, where supported, configure actions, approval settings and domain restrictions.
Managing integration risks and looking ahead
For businesses connecting AI to outside systems, NIST’s voluntary generative AI risk profile recommends documenting intended uses, maintaining an AI-system inventory, assigning incident-response responsibilities, assessing third-party providers and planning fallback procedures. Following the guidance would add supplier review, incident response and continuity planning to the deployment process.
OpenAI said feedback from event conversations, webinar questions and surveys will shape future resources and its product roadmap. The evidence released so far covers attendance, self-reported workflow completion and self-reported time savings, but not sustained workflow use, error rates or review time. For the named partner plugins, skills and offers, the announcement does not give rollout dates, plan-level availability or pricing.