There’s something remarkable happening in New York and across the American economy: Entrepreneurship is booming, and artificial intelligence is driving it.
A recent Gusto survey found that 60 percent of founders used A.I. to start their businesses last year, and 50 percent said it made the process significantly faster or cheaper. That’s monumental for New York’s Black community, where new technology is helping clear economic hurdles that have held back Black entrepreneurship.
Our community has long struggled against barriers to the capital, resources, technology and opportunity needed to grow. A.I. is changing that equation, paving the way to economic independence and wealth creation for historically under-represented Black entrepreneurs. New York should embrace that opportunity wholeheartedly.
Starting a business once required major upfront investment: a location, staff, a website and cash on hand to fund it. Today an entrepreneur can use A.I. to help develop a website, market a product and handle logistics, all while working from home.
Despite claims that A.I. will hollow out New York’s workplaces, it is instead making it possible for more people to become entrepreneurs, and helping small businesses accomplish more with fewer resources.
As Entrepreneur recently reported, applications from one-person firms increased by more than 20 percent between early 2025 and mid-2026, as A.I.-powered tools increasingly allow individuals to accomplish work that once required entire teams. The priority shouldn’t be undoing that progress. It should be making sure underserved and minority communities have the opportunity to share in it.
These benefits aren’t limited to startups; A.I. is a genuinely powerful tool for our neighborhood businesses, too. Whether you’re a restaurant owner, a contractor, a retailer or the head of a community nonprofit, the technology can help manage customers, analyze budgets and streamline operations. A.I. helps level the playing field, making capabilities once reserved for giant corporations available to the smallest storefronts and startups.
Small businesses are already putting these tools to good use. A recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey found that A.I. adoption among small and medium-sized businesses has more than doubled since 2023. The tech is helping people become more efficient and develop new capabilities — and the more widely available innovative A.I. tools become, the better off small businesses, operating on tight margins or with limited access to capital, will be.
Black entrepreneurs are already recognizing that potential. Recent research from the Urban Institute found that Black-owned businesses are more likely to use or test A.I., and more likely to view the technology as “highly important” to their companies. Researchers also noted that A.I. adoption could “increase the productivity of small businesses and significantly cut costs, improving competitiveness and reducing barriers to entry.”
Nonetheless, we should not assume that these benefits will reach every neighborhood equally. If access to A.I. tools, training and capital becomes uneven, our communities could miss one of the greatest economic opportunities of this generation. We can’t let that happen.
New York must embrace A.I. innovation and ensure that no one misses out on the unique advantages the technology provides. New Yorkers need practical opportunities to build A.I. skills, while neighborhood businesses need access to the investment, infrastructure and expertise required to put those tools to work. Our leaders should recognize that widening access to innovation is an economic opportunity, not a threat.
The stakes extend beyond our own communities. Countries like China are rapidly closing the gap with the United States on A.I. If we make it harder for American innovators to develop and adopt these tools here at home, competitors like China will be more than happy to fill the void.
That’s why city and state officials should focus on making A.I. adoption easier, fostering collaboration and education and removing unnecessary barriers. The more hurdles are erected against A.I. innovation, the fewer opportunities minority-owned businesses will have to get ahead. If, instead, we equip businesses with the A.I. tools they need to grow, local mom-and-pop shops will reap the benefits, and our neighborhoods will thrive.
A.I. is already expanding opportunities for Black entrepreneurs and business owners. New York must ensure that every community can participate, compete and flourish in our modern A.I. economy.
Phil Andrews is president of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce and founding president of the New York City Minority Small Business Chamber of Commerce.
