More than 45 small business owners and chamber representatives attended a free workshop Thursday hosted by Meta at Moraine Park Technical College – Horicon Regional Center, part of the company’s Small Business Community Accelerator program. The workshop covered how businesses can write more effective prompts and use AI tools for marketing, recruitment, lead generation and inventory management. Meta spokesperson Jim Cullinan said the program was developed because small businesses have often been left to figure out new technologies on their own, and that the training was not limited to Meta products. He encouraged owners to try the technology while maintaining human oversight, stating, “There is still a role for human review of everything that AI creates.” The workshop also served as part of Meta’s outreach in the region as the company moves forward with its planned $1 billion AI data center in Beaver Dam. Cullinan acknowledged that Meta has more work to do to earn community trust regarding concerns about energy, water and local infrastructure, and said the company is committed to maintaining a presence in the community through workshops and other outreach efforts.