AI Business Accelerator
Build the practical capabilities to adopt AI, improve productivity, strengthen operations, enhance customer experiences, and create greater value across your business.
Put AI to work in your business.
The AI Business Accelerator helps small and medium-sized businesses move beyond experimenting with AI to applying it strategically across their operations.
Over seven weeks, participants examine how AI can address real business priorities, including reducing repetitive work, improving productivity, strengthening decision-making, enhancing customer experiences, and supporting sustainable growth.
Through live instruction, practical demonstrations, and hands-on activities, participants learn to assess AI opportunities, select appropriate tools, develop effective workflows, and build an AI-enabled solution around a genuine business need.
The program also addresses responsible adoption, data considerations, implementation risks, and the organizational readiness required to introduce AI successfully.
By the end of the program, each participant will have a practical AI solution, a clear adoption plan, and a roadmap for expanding AI responsibly across their business.
Who this is for
- Small and medium-sized business owners
- Founders seeking greater efficiency and growth
- Managers responsible for operations or innovation
- Leaders improving customer and employee experiences
- Teams preparing to adopt AI responsibly
WHAT YOU WILL DEVELOP
- A clear AI opportunity assessment
- Practical workflows for priority business needs
- An AI-enabled business solution
- A responsible AI adoption plan
- A roadmap for scaling AI across the business
Seven weeks from AI exploration to business implementation.
Each week combines live instruction with hands-on application to your business. Participants progressively develop an AI-enabled solution and a practical adoption roadmap.
AI Opportunities in Your Business
Identify where AI can create the greatest value across your operations, customer experience, marketing, productivity, and decision-making.
- You will develop: An AI opportunity assessment for your business.
Generative AI for Everyday Productivity
Use generative AI effectively for research, communication, content development, documentation, planning, and administrative work.
- You will develop: Practical AI workflows for recurring business tasks.
Automating Business Processes
Map repetitive processes and use AI-powered tools to reduce manual work, improve consistency, and strengthen operational efficiency.
- You will develop: An automated workflow for a priority business process.
Building AI Agents for Business
Understand how AI agents work and how they can support customer service, sales, administration, research, and internal operations.
- You will develop: A functional prototype of an AI agent.
Applying and Improving Your AI Solution
Connect your AI agent to business information, refine its instructions, test its performance, and improve the quality of its outputs.
- You will develop: A tested AI solution addressing a genuine business need.
Responsible Adoption, ROI and Scale
Evaluate costs, risks, privacy, governance, employee readiness, and expected returns before introducing AI across your business.
- You will develop: A responsible AI adoption and implementation roadmap.
Demo Day and Project Showcase
Present your AI-enabled business solution, explain the opportunity it addresses, and receive feedback from instructors, mentors, and peers.
- You will leave with: A practical solution, implementation roadmap, and clear next steps.
Practical solutions built around your business.
An AI Opportunity Roadmap
A prioritized plan showing where AI can improve productivity, operations, customer experience, and growth.
A Responsible Adoption Plan
Practical guidance for managing data, risk, readiness, value, and responsible AI adoption.
A Program Credential
A recognized certificate and digital badge demonstrating your practical AI business capabilities.
A Business AI Network
Connections to business owners, instructors, mentors, and partners advancing responsible AI adoption.
Who this program is, and isn't, for.
A clear understanding of fit helps every participant gain more from the program experience.
This program is for you if:
- You own, lead, or help operate a small or medium-sized business
- You want practical AI adoption rather than theory alone
- You have a genuine business challenge or opportunity to explore
- You can commit to live sessions and weekly applied work
- You want to improve efficiency, customer value, or business growth
This program may not fit if:
- You are seeking individual career-focused AI training
- You want advanced programming or technical model development
- You have no business context or challenge to apply the learning
- You prefer a fully self-paced program without live sessions
- You cannot commit time to the weekly practical activities
Practical learning designed around your business.
Cohort-Based
Learn alongside business owners, sharing experiences, ideas, challenges, and practical opportunities for growth.
Live online
Join two live classes each week, with session recordings available when needed.
Business-Applied
Apply each week’s learning directly to a genuine priority within your business.
Expert-Supported
Receive guidance from instructors, mentors, and practitioners experienced in applying AI to business.
Supported through the Black AI Centre Impact Scholarship
Eligible Black business owners and leaders may receive an Impact Scholarship covering the full program value of $3,500 per participant. The scholarship expands access to practical AI adoption support for businesses seeking greater productivity, stronger operations, improved customer value, and sustainable growth.
APPLICATION-BASED · LIMITED SPACESHow participants are applying AI in their work and businesses.
Our impact is reflected in the learners supported, programs completed, practical AI applications developed, and experts contributing across our learning ecosystem.
Program FAQs.
The program is designed for Black business owners, founders, managers, and organizational leaders seeking practical ways to apply AI within an existing business or operation.
Businesses from any industry can participate. The program is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses seeking to improve productivity, operations, customer experience, decision-making, or growth.
No. The program is beginner-friendly and business-focused. Participants learn to use accessible AI tools without requiring programming, data science, or machine-learning experience.
The program runs for seven weeks, including six weeks of live instruction and applied activities, followed by a Week 7 Demo Day and Project Showcase.
Participants attend two live classes each week and complete practical activities connected to their businesses. Additional implementation time will vary based on the selected business challenge.
Yes. The program is delivered live online in a cohort-based format, allowing participants to join from across Canada.
You will identify priority AI opportunities, develop practical workflows, explore AI agents, and create a responsible AI adoption roadmap for your business.
Participants will learn how AI agents work and develop a functional prototype addressing a relevant business process or opportunity.
Session recordings and learning materials will be available. Participants should review missed content and complete the related activities before the next class.
The program is valued at $3,500 per participant. Impact Scholarships may cover the full program cost for eligible Black business owners and leaders.
No. Scholarships are application-based, and spaces are limited. Applications are assessed based on eligibility, program fit, readiness, and available capacity.
Yes. Participants who meet the program requirements will receive a certificate of completion and digital badge from the Black AI Centre.
Ready to put AI to work in your business?
Applications for the October 2026 cohort are open. Seats are limited and admission is competitive, so apply early to secure your place.