PayPal x Anthropic: Bridging the AI Gap for SMEs

Most small businesses recognize that AI matters, but don't know where to begin. PayPal and Anthropic have identified that the main obstacle is the lack of accessible training and tools. They've formed a partnership to bridge this gap.

The Context

A PayPal survey of small businesses revealed that 82% believe adopting AI is essential to remain competitive, but 73% admit they lack the knowledge and tools to do so.

Training: AI Fluency for Small Business

A free course designed for freelancers and small businesses to understand AI practically, without technical jargon and with real-world business examples. It consists of nine lessons with videos from researchers and small business owners, building on a training program already used by over a million people.

The Tool: Claude for Small Business

A plugin that integrates Claude into the tools you already use. It activates with a toggle within Claude Cowork: connect your apps, select the task, and Claude executes it — but you approve before anything is sent, published, or paid.

This is important because, according to Anthropic's survey, half of the business owners cited data security as their main concern with AI. That's why the control is built into the design: you initiate each task, and your existing permissions remain in place — if an employee doesn't see something in QuickBooks today, they won't see it through Claude either.

How It Impacts the Business

Connected to PayPal, the plugin handles tasks like invoicing and refunds — but requests your approval before sending or paying anything.

It also integrates with QuickBooks, HubSpot, and Canva, so you can manage accounting, customer tracking, and content creation from a single platform instead of juggling five tabs.

What It Does Specifically

It comes with 15 ready-to-use workflows and 15 skills built around tasks that small business owners say hold them back most: payroll planning, month-end closing, chasing unpaid invoices, launching a campaign. It connects with QuickBooks, PayPal, HubSpot, Canva, Docusign, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365. Automating these tasks can save small businesses significant time.

Our Perspective

The course is now freely available to everyone, and that’s where we would start. Before installing anything, it’s worth understanding how the tool works and where it makes sense to use it.

We believe accessible AI is one that you understand well enough to entrust with the right tasks.