If you've been meaning to learn more about AI but keep putting it off because you're busy actually running a business, the Department of Labor just made your excuse a lot harder to maintain.
This morning, the DOL launched "Make America AI-Ready," a free AI literacy course that works entirely over text message. You text READY to 20202. Seven days later, you know the basics. Ten minutes a day. No laptop needed. No app to download. No login to forget.
That's it. That's the barrier to entry: owning a phone that can send texts.
What the course actually covers
The curriculum follows the DOL's AI Literacy Framework, which the agency released last month. It breaks down into five areas:
- AI principles. What AI actually is, what it can do, and what it can't. The foundation layer.
- AI use cases. Hands-on exploration of different tools and how AI complements (not replaces) human work.
- Directing AI effectively. How to write prompts that produce useful output instead of generic filler.
- Evaluating AI output. How to check whether what AI gives you is accurate and relevant. (Spoiler: you should always check.)
- Using AI responsibly. Ethics, security, protecting sensitive information, and staying accountable for results.
Each day covers a different topic with bite-sized lessons and daily challenges. After the seven days, participants get resources for more advanced learning or AI career paths based on their interests.
Why this matters for small business owners
Two things make this worth paying attention to.
First, the format. Most AI training programs assume you have hours to spare, a computer to sit at, and the patience to wade through a learning management system designed in 2014. This one assumes you have a phone and ten minutes. For a business owner who spends their day on job sites, behind a counter, or in a truck, that's a meaningful difference.
Second, the workforce angle. Even if you personally don't need AI 101, your employees might. The Pax8 Pulse survey released today found that 62% of small businesses are already using AI, but many are doing it without governance frameworks or internal alignment. Translation: your team is probably using ChatGPT already. They might as well learn to use it well.
Sending your team a text that says "text READY to 20202" is the lowest-friction training assignment you'll ever give.
The fine print
The course was built through a partnership between the DOL and Arist, an education technology company. Arist is part of the White House's "Pledge to America's Youth" initiative for AI education. The DOL says phone numbers used to enroll will never be shared with or sold to third parties for marketing.
That last part matters. A lot of "free" courses monetize your contact info. This one explicitly doesn't.
Is it actually useful?
I haven't taken it yet (it literally launched this morning), so I can't review the content. But I can tell you what it isn't: a deep technical training program. This is AI literacy, not AI mastery. If you already use AI tools daily, you probably won't learn much new.
But if you have employees who are either afraid of AI or using it recklessly, this is a zero-cost, zero-effort way to get everyone on the same page. And for business owners who've been meaning to understand what all the noise is about, seven days of ten-minute text lessons is about as painless as it gets.
The worst outcome is you waste 70 minutes over a week. The best outcome is you finally understand enough to make smarter decisions about which AI tools are worth paying for and which are just hype with a subscription fee.
How to enroll
Text READY to 20202. That's it. Course starts immediately.
More info at dol.gov/ai-ready.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor Press Release (March 24, 2026); Pax8 Pulse Survey (March 2026); DOL AI Literacy Framework (February 2026)