Chairman Williams: “AI on Main Street: How AI is Shaping the Future of Small Business”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Small Business is holding a hearing titled “AI on Main Street: How AI is Shaping the Future of Small Business.”

Chairman Roger Williams’ opening statement as prepared for delivery:

Welcome to today’s hearing, “AI on Main Street: How AI is Shaping the Future of Small Business.”

I want to thank our witnesses for joining us today.

Artificial intelligence has quickly transitioned from novelty to an indispensable business tool for Main Street businesses across the country.

AI is streamlining administrative tasks that once required significant time and resources, and it is allowing small businesses to focus on growth instead of paperwork. Small businesses are using AI to respond quickly to customers, manage inventory, strengthen cybersecurity, and automate routine paperwork. As a small business owner myself, I have seen the difference these tools can make — and I know firsthand how much of that burden falls on the owner.

Artificial intelligence is no longer something reserved for big tech companies and Fortune 500 boardrooms. Today, nearly three-quarters of small businesses are using AI in some form. That is more than triple the share from just three years ago. Small businesses are closing the technology gap with big corporations faster than in any prior wave of innovation.

Importantly, early data is showing that AI’s rise is not coming at the expense of workers. In fact, eighty-two percent of small businesses using AI grew their workforce over the past year.

Of course, real barriers to broader AI adoption remain. Many owners tell us they simply don't know where to start, that they worry about costs, or that they are unsure how to keep their data secure.

But one of the biggest barriers is one Washington created: uncertainty.

The Biden-Harris Administration took a heavy-handed approach to AI. On October 30, 2023, they released an Executive Order imposing sweeping regulatory requirements and compliance burdens that threatened to smother AI innovation before small businesses ever got the chance to benefit from it.

We only need to look across the Atlantic to see where that road leads.

Europe chose to regulate first and innovate later, and today, their small businesses are falling behind. The United States cannot make the same mistake.

Thankfully, the Trump Administration reversed course. They rescinded the Biden approach and replaced it with a pro-innovation strategy through Executive Order 14179 and America's AI Action Plan — clearing away red tape so that AI tools can be adopted with confidence.

The SBA is doing its part too by expanding access to AI through its new Main Street AI Accelerator Program.

And of course, this Committee has led the way with bipartisan legislation, such as the AI Wise Act, the AI for Main Street Act, and the SBA Artificial Intelligence Utilization Act of 2026. Together, these bipartisan bills ensure that entrepreneurs have access to practical AI and that barriers to AI adoption are reduced. Our goal is to make sure every small business and entrepreneur has the opportunity to succeed in the emerging age of AI.

When small businesses have the tools, training, and freedom to innovate, they will out-compete, out-build, and out-hire anyone in the world — and our economy will be stronger because of it.

I want to thank our witnesses again for joining us today. I look forward to the conversation ahead.

I now yield to our Ranking Member from New York, Mr. Cisneros.

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