Rep. Scholten Leads Effort to Improve Small Business Administration's AI Usage

WASHINGTON, DC – This month, U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03) introduced the Small Business Administration Artificial Intelligence Adoption Reporting Act (SBA AI Adoption Reporting Act). The legislation would direct the SBA to implement its recent findings on how to best improve its AI uses for contracting and research programs. Rep. Scholten requested the study that produced these findings last Congress.

“This bill is about making the government work more efficiently for small businesses and the hardworking people who keep them running,” said Rep. Scholten. “The SBA can and should be using AI to reduce backlog, streamline applications for funding opportunities, and prevent fraud, which is why I requested this report in the first place and why it is critical we now implement its findings. As AI becomes an increasingly common part of our economy, we have to make sure Main Street businesses have the tools and support they need to grow, compete, and protect their operations.” 

The report outlines ways in which SBA can use AI to enhance various agency functions, including conducting market research, reviewing proposals, preventing fraud, and reducing staff burden by saving time and analyzing large amounts of information. It also examines potential barriers and risks to adopting AI and highlights the importance of government transparency regarding AI usage. The full report can be found here. 

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