AI–WISE Act
Key claim: The AI–WISE Act (HR5784) requires the Small Business Administration to publish educational resources and modules on how AI models work and how small businesses can identify, evaluate, and manage AI risks, and to form an advisory working group to guide that content.
Abstract
(HR5784 · 119th Congress) Artificial Intelligence Wisdom for Innovative Small Enterprises Act or the AI–WISE Act This bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish and maintain educational resources and modules on artificial intelligence tools. These resources and modules for small businesses must include information about how artificial intelligence models work and how to identify, evaluate, and manage the risks of artificial intelligence. The resources and modules must be published on an existing SBA learning platform. The SBA also must establish an advisory working group to advise the SBA about relevant information for inclusion in the resources and modules. Latest action (2026-01-26): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Why this matters
The AI–WISE Act situates the Small Business Administration as a federal channel for AI literacy and risk-management guidance aimed at small businesses, a segment often absent from higher-profile AI governance debates. While incremental, it reflects a growing pattern of using existing agency education mandates — rather than new regulatory authorities — to diffuse AI risk practices across the economy. For platforms and AI developers, SBA-endorsed evaluation and risk-management materials could shape baseline expectations that small-business customers apply when procuring AI tools.