Trust but Verify: Using AI for Small-Business Research

Trust but Verify: Using AI for Small-Business Research

Discover how to use AI for business research, learning, and decision-making—with confidence and critical thinking. In this interactive workshop, you’ll practice evaluating AI-generated information, spotting errors and bias, verifying sources, and deciding when AI is the right tool.

Topics include:

• Assessing AI outputs for credibility, relevance, and usefulness

• Identifying unsupported claims, misleading statistics, and weak sourcing

• Comparing AI-assisted and traditional research methods

• Applying practical strategies to real-world business examples

Leave with tools to combine AI’s speed with your own judgment and expertise.

Who should attend: Entrepreneurs, small business owners, and professionals who have tried at least one AI tool and want to use it more effectively.

What to bring: A laptop and access to an AI tool (free or paid). Additional requirements may be shared before the workshop.

Presented by: Heather Ferguson, Program Manager, Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW–Madison.