AI for Small Business Leaders: Practical Productivity & Risk Awareness

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping how organizations operate, make decisions, and compete. This interactive half-day workshop is designed for small business leaders, managers, and professionals seeking to understand and apply AI tools in practical, real-world contexts.

Participants will gain a clear, non-technical understanding of how modern AI systems work, what they do well, and where they fall short. The session emphasizes hands-on application, enabling attendees to use AI tools to improve productivity across common business functions such as communication, operations, and strategic planning.

Through guided exercises and real-world examples, participants will learn how to integrate AI into their daily workflows, saving time and improving output quality. The workshop also addresses critical considerations around risk, including when to trust AI outputs, how to identify errors, and how to manage concerns related to privacy, security, and data ownership.

By the end of the session, participants will leave with practical strategies, reusable workflows, and greater confidence in applying AI effectively within their organizations.

Date and Time

This is a half-day, 5-hour, in-person workshop on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, from 9am-2pm.

Location

This workshop will be held in-person at the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing at 6116 Executive Boulevard, North Bethesda, MD, 20852. Further directions regarding parking and room details will be provided following registration.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Explain, at a high level, how AI systems generate outputs and why they sometimes produce errors 
• Identify appropriate use cases for AI within their organization 
• Apply structured prompting techniques to improve the quality of AI-generated results 
• Use AI tools to streamline common business tasks such as drafting, summarizing, and planning 
• Evaluate AI outputs for accuracy, reliability, and potential risk 
• Recognize key considerations related to data privacy, security, and ethical use 

Who Should Attend
This workshop is designed for:

• Small business owners and executives 
• Managers and team leads across functions 
• Professionals in healthcare-adjacent organizations, professional services, and government contracting 
• Individuals with basic familiarity with common digital tools (e.g., email, documents, spreadsheets) 
• No prior experience with AI is required.

Instructional Format
This session combines short lectures, live demonstrations, and hands-on exercises. Participants will work individually and in small groups to apply AI tools to realistic business scenarios and their own work challenges.

Additional Information

• Format: In-person, interactive workshop 
• Requirements: Participants should have access to a laptop and internet connection. Some exercises may require creating free accounts for AI tools.