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A groundbreaking research initiative in Tampa Bay will help determine if artificial intelligence, often considered a great equalizer, is mitigating racial and economic gaps or widening entrepreneurial divides.
Power Broker Media Group has enlisted USF’s Muma College of Business, the Pinellas County Urban League, the CDC of Tampa, Deuces Live, and other partners, to take an in-depth look at how small businesses are adopting AI. The extensive project’s centerpiece is a survey targeting entrepreneurs across the eight-county Tampa Bay region.
Researchers plan to discern whether AI is democratizing access to new business capabilities or creating a two-tier economy that amplifies existing disparities. Despite the high stakes, community-level data on adoption, specifically among Black entrepreneurs, remains scarce.
“In order to make sure that Black entrepreneurs can take advantage of the opportunities that this technology offers, we need to have a better understanding of where they are,” said Dr. Han Reichgelt, professor of information systems at and associate director of the School of Information Systems at USF. “Are they already using it? If they’re not using it, what are the main obstacles?
“We need to understand to what extent there are unique challenges for Black entrepreneurs in adopting this technology, and that’s what this survey will help us achieve.”
Reichgelt previously worked with Gypsy Gallardo, CEO of Power Broker Media Group, and others, on St. Petersburg’s landmark Structural Racism Study. Reichgelt said he found the 12-week AI research project, the first of its kind in Tampa Bay, intriguing.
The research team plans to secure at least 100 completed surveys from Black entrepreneurs, alongside a comparison cohort of 60 other business owners. They will then benchmark that data against AI firm Anthropic’s Economic Index, which tracks national and statewide adoption patterns.
Reichgelt noted that AI will likely provide early adopters with a competitive business advantage. “If there turns out to be major obstacles that are specific to Black entrepreneurs, then it is incumbent upon us to make sure … we help get them ready to adopt the technology, as well,” he said.
“Certainly, for smaller businesses, I don’t know that we’re going to find a significant difference between Black and other entrepreneurs," Reichgelt added. “It is an open question - we don’t have a particular hypothesis.”
Successfully adopting AI tools requires time, money, and effort. Reichgelt said those hurdles could impede utilization for any small business owner, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
Researchers believe the study and survey - open to businesses with up to $25 million in annual revenue - will contribute significantly to emerging literature on AI, entrepreneurship, and economic equity. Reichgelt noted that Anthropic has sponsored some research on the technology’s adoption, “but as far as we know, those studies have never focused on Black entrepreneurs."
“We’re going to find interesting stuff,” he pledged. “And hopefully we can get a few academic publications out of it as well.”
The project will also generate actionable knowledge on how to design AI literacy programs and where subsidized access to tools will have the greatest impact by highlighting which segments of the Black business community need the most support. Local entrepreneurial leaders can then use the study’s findings and recommendations to accelerate adoption as a competitive equalizer.
Dr. Cynthia Johnson, director of Pinellas County Economic Development, said understanding the technology is critical for small business owners. She also emphasized the importance of "thoughtful and intentional” adoption.
Johnson noted the inherent biases within AI, which learns from scraping historical human data. While the technology can increase efficiency, it could also damage an entrepreneur’s brand, she said.
However, AI can increase access to capital and a small business owner’s confidence in their financial acumen, Johnson added. A responsible approach to adoption “can be extremely beneficial,” she said.
“We have so many resources to help small businesses be responsible in their utilization of AI,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that sitting on the sidelines and ignoring AI as a tangible opportunity for their business would be the most prudent thing to do.”
The research project will explore specific AI applications and concerns. Reichgelt said the adoption of any new technology will likely result in job losses, which are already occurring in many large tech companies.
He is also convinced that, after some initial upheaval, AI will create new business and job opportunities. “There are going to be some losers, but there’s going to be some winners, as well,” Reichgelt said.
“I want us to be well,” he said of the impending technological shift. “Once you have identified a potential problem, then you can start thinking about how you're going to solve it.”
To participate in the survey, access it here.
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