Lead story / partnership

OpenAI plans local ChatGPT workshops for at least 1,000 small businesses

OpenAI and America’s SBDC announced a partnership on September 30 to bring hands-on ChatGPT training to small-business owners through local advisors. The phased pilot aims to reach at least 1,000 businesses over the coming months. Further rollout details will be announced as launch approaches; the announcement does not report training results.

The advising network gives the project a local foundation: America’s SBDC represents 63 member organizations and nearly 1,000 Small Business Development Centers nationwide, offering free, confidential business advising and training. OpenAI plans to prepare roughly 150 advisors initially. One track covers useful starting points, responsible AI use and assessing business value; another prepares advisors and staff to lead group workshops.

The partners plan at least one Academy Workshop at each participating SBDC network, modeled on a three-hour, hands-on format. Owners will test ChatGPT on real business tasks, leave with an implementation plan and receive advisor follow-up. America’s SBDC says advisors and clients who complete the in-person workshops will get free ChatGPT Plus access. Workshop findings will also help shape practical and industry-focused guides.

OpenAI’s accompanying usage figures describe a different thing: existing adoption, not the pilot’s impact. The company reports that roughly 4 million employees worldwide at firms with fewer than 500 people used its products during September 9–15; nearly one in five worked at businesses with fewer than 10 employees. The pilot’s test comes after training, when OpenAI follows up on what owners find useful, what they keep using and where they need more support.

business

Meta reportedly saved $3.9 billion by classifying AI infrastructure as research

The New York Times, via The Decoder, reports that Meta saved $3.9 billion in 2025 by treating AI data centers and chips as research assets. Meta cites $200 billion in five-year R&D spending, but its filings warn the credits could be challenged. EY reportedly helped develop the approach and is pitching it to other AI-chip buyers. The dispute concerns whether facilities and equipment serving commercial products qualify as experimental research.

products

Robinhood announces in-app AI trading agents with manual approval on by default

Robinhood’s planned in-app agents will research markets, build strategies and place trades for eligible U.S. customers. They use dedicated accounts and customer-set limits, with manual approval on by default but adjustable. Agents are coming soon without a launch date; recurring instructions called Loops remain forthcoming. Planned weekend stock trading has a separate early-2027 target and still needs regulatory review.

research

Google DeepMind adds verifiable watermarks to AI-designed proteins

Google DeepMind’s SynthID Bio embeds a verifiable origin signal in protein sequences and predicted structures. The company says lab tests found that watermarked designs retained performance and natural diversity, including binding comparisons across three targets. Those results have not been independently assessed here. Traceability in open databases is the goal; biosecurity remains an intended benefit, not a demonstrated outcome.

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