Plank AI Clinic for SMEs

Practical AI for small businesses. Real-world learning for students.

Plank partners with universities and local economic development groups to help small businesses put AI to work on real, day-to-day workflows. Students complete a structured Plank AI learning program and get the opportunity to work with business owners to identify where AI can help and build practical AI automations.

Inaugural partners

A crowd of about a hundred people wearing name badges, seated on tiered steps in a large hall, many of them waving at the camera — Photos from Plank’s student AI workshops in Brazil.

Two instructors at a projected slide explaining the Model Context Protocol, one pointing at the diagram, with a classroom of students watching — Photos from Plank’s student AI workshops in Brazil.

Why we’re doing this

AI is a huge, yet untapped, opportunity for SMEs

For many SMEs, turning AI’s potential into something useful can still feel difficult. Owners may not know which business problems are well suited to AI, which tools to use, or how to integrate those tools into the systems and workflows they already rely on.

At Plank, we believe realizing AI’s full promise requires equipping a broad ecosystem of people and businesses to use it effectively. That belief sits at the heart of our AI Clinic, a program designed to help SMEs adopt AI in practical ways, while also helping a new generation of people get early exposure to real business problems and a better understanding of what AI can make possible.

How the AI Clinic works

From training to practical AI workflows

Plank works with university and economic development partners to select and train a cohort of students and prepare a group of small businesses. Students and business owners then meet in person for one clinic day and build workflows together on the business’s own systems.

The outline below covers the main components of the AI Clinic for SMEs program. We tailor the program with each partner to fit their goals and priorities.

Student training

10–15 hours total

Self-paced learning

Selected students take a self-paced Plank course in AI technology and user research.

Guided learning

Facilitators from Plank and the partner university lead live sessions to deepen learning and prepare students for the clinic.

AI and Technology

Students learn how AI models and agents work, write instructions, pass data, connect business tools, and combine agents to automate tasks.

Discovery and Prioritization

Students practice user discovery and communication, and learn how to map and prioritize AI workflow opportunities for the business.

Business and Consulting

Students practice interviewing owners, mapping workflows, finding where AI can help, and estimating its potential value.

Clinic Preparation

Students review example AI integrations and workflows, ask questions, and prepare for the types of problems they may encounter on clinic day.

SME problem discovery

15-minute user discovery call

Select businesses for the clinic

Owners complete a short questionnaire about their business and a recurring task they want help with. Plank reviews applications and selects participating businesses for a discovery call.

Discovery call

Plank reviews the business’s tools, systems, and workflows with the owner. Together, they identify a useful workflow AI can solve and agree on a practical focus for clinic day.

Clinic day

4–6 hours · in person

One-to-one AI build sessions

Students and Plank engineers connect business tools to AI and work on selected workflows with each owner.

Demos and shared learning

Students and owners share what they learned, discuss what AI can and cannot do, and ask questions. Owners learn how to adjust or create similar workflows after the clinic.

Example workflows

Types of workflows SME owners can set up

AI can help automate many repetitive tasks that take up much of an SME owner’s time. Here are a few examples.

Email & messaging

An agent sorts customer inquiries arriving by email or message and drafts a reply for the owner to approve.

Social media

On the business’s social media, an agent posts on the owner’s behalf, answers customer questions, and replies to comments.

Sales

To find new customers, an agent analyzes the business’s current customers, identifies similar prospects, and runs outreach campaigns.

Reviews

After a purchase, an agent invites the customer to share a testimonial, publishes approved quotes on the website, and requests an online review.

Accounting → Email

For unpaid invoices, an agent sends customers an automatic reminder.

Internal operations

When a new sale comes in, an agent emails the right supplier with the order details and expected fulfillment timeline.

Partner with us

Help bring AI to small businesses in your community

Plank partners with universities and local economic development groups to help small businesses put AI to work while giving students hands-on experience.

Book a call Email our partnerships team