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Local consultant urges AI literacy workshops to help Westborough small businesses
Summary
At the July Economic Development Committee meeting, Kamen Tharas of Compound FX presented an AI literacy plan and offered cohort-style workshops and a quick-build of AI assistants using town documents to help small businesses improve productivity and marketing.
Westborough — At a July Economic Development Committee meeting, consultant Kamen Tharas, introduced as CEO of Compound FX, urged the town to offer practical AI literacy workshops to help local small businesses and nonprofits use generative tools safely and productively.
Tharas told committee members that AI should be treated "like a piece of infrastructure, just like how the discovery of [the] Internet" and recommended short, role-specific workshops delivered every two months or quarterly. He demonstrated an assistant he said he built in 20 minutes from the EDC website and suggested cohort-based sessions for owners, marketing teams and operations staff so participants "walk out of there with their own assistant."
Why it matters: Tharas argued that businesses using AI responsibly could improve productivity and revenue while reducing routine burdens on employees. He cited adoption figures (attributed in his talk to a McKinsey study) that, he said, show adoption is high among enterprises and mid-market firms but lower for small businesses, which often lack upskilling resources.
Committee members asked practical questions about format, approvals and outreach. In response to a question about community delivery, Tharas proposed donated 60–90 minute sessions in convenient locations such as the library or virtual sessions and said he would adapt curriculum to industry or department needs. "It takes me 20 minutes," he said, describing his process for building an assistant for the EDC website.
The committee did not take a formal vote on Tharas's proposal but directed staff and volunteers to consider including AI training in the EDC's programming lineup. Members emphasized the need to coordinate scheduling with other outreach and to ensure small businesses have technical support for safe data practices.
