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Our readers have been asking for more AI coverage — how it’s being used and where local opportunities are. While many SC businesses using AI are already experimenting in small, informal ways, others aren’t sure where to start.
We saw you clicking on Google’s free AI training for small businesses, so we rounded up a mix of other practical, local resources — some free, some paid — worth knowing about in Greenville, Charleston, and Columbia.
If you’re just getting started
- University of South Carolina College of Information and Communications + Palmetto College offers two free public courses: Generative AI for Beginners and Using AI for Your Business, hosted through iCarolina Labs.
- The Charleston Learning Center hosts a free AI meet-up for beginners, as well as introductory classes for using ChatGPT and prototyping with AI.
If you’re looking for practical business use cases
- Google offers free AI training for small businesses, with tools focused on productivity, marketing, and everyday workflows
- Greenville Automation Studio is building AI‑enabled solutions for local businesses and offers early access for automated processes like marketing or workflow tasks.
- Buzzword Agency provides AI-powered content generation and marketing automation — something many Greenville small business owners could use immediately.
If you want to learn from others or go deeper
- Request to join SC AI Consortium, a leadership and collaboration hub focused on AI across SC.
- Sign up for the AI Advantage Summit at Benedict College ($33+) on Monday, March 23, which focuses on GenAI for business growth and innovation.
- Charleston’s AI Strategy Advisory helps businesses evaluate their support needs and identify which — and how many — AI tools to invest in for their specific company needs.
- Artificial Intelligence Institute of USC conducts research and applied AI initiatives tied to real-world problems — check for upcoming opportunities to join roundtable discussions.
- Dive into the Impact of AI on Small Businesses (Webinar) presented by the City of Columbia.
- Join the Greenville AI waitlist, a resource helping local businesses automate, grow, and simplify operations with AI-driven solutions in marketing, data analysis, and process automation.
If you’re watching local innovation
For those curious about how AI is showing up in SC right now:
- SC Launch Inc. recently invested in Columbia-based human-centered AI startup QWERKY AI
- A proposed AI‑focused data center (Project Spero) was withdrawn after community opposition in Spartanburg County.
- Greenville County Schools approved a new AI policy emphasizing ethical use, student privacy, and transparency for parents, signaling how local institutions are adopting AI responsibly.
- The City of Charleston is implementing AI-enabled traffic signals along Calhoun Street, the main east-west corridor that services more than 20,000 vehicles daily downtown.