Somewhere there’s a rule change that affects your business, and you’ll find out about it when a customer, an inspector, or your accountant mentions it. Checking agency websites every week isn’t realistic when you’re also running the place.
The fix is mostly free. Get the agencies to send updates to you, then use artificial intelligence (AI) to boil them down.
Step 1: Subscribe to the Sources That Matter (Free)
Most federal agencies will email you updates if you ask. Two good examples for small businesses:
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) QuickTakes. A free newsletter, sent twice a month, with compliance help and workplace safety updates.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Business Blog. The FTC offers free email updates and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, a format tools can watch for new posts. Its Business Blog shares tips on complying with consumer protection rules.
Add your state agencies too. Your licensing board, state labor department, and state revenue department are often more relevant day to day than anything federal. Your industry’s trade association newsletter is usually the best summary of all, and it’s often included with membership.
Send all of it to one email folder so it doesn’t bury your inbox.
Step 2: Let AI Summarize It (Free or About $20 a Month)
Once a week, open that folder and paste the new updates into the free version of ChatGPT or Claude with a prompt like:
“I run a 15-person restaurant in Texas. Which of these updates could affect me? For each one, give a one-sentence summary and tell me if I need to do anything. Say ‘not relevant’ if it isn’t.”
That takes about 15 minutes. Click through to the original before you act on anything, because AI summaries can get details wrong.
Step 3: Automate It, If You Want
Zapier‘s built-in RSS tool can watch a feed and email you whenever something new is published. That simple two-step setup works on Zapier’s free plan, which includes 100 tasks a month. If you want Zapier to run each item through AI and email you a summary, that needs the Professional plan, from $19.99 a month billed yearly.
Skip the Enterprise Compliance Platforms
You’ll see Regology and Compliance.ai recommended for “teams without a compliance person.” Regology’s Professional plan lists at $1,700 per user per month on a three-year contract. Compliance.ai is now part of Archer’s enterprise compliance platform and is sold through demos. Both are built for large compliance departments, especially in financial services, not a 15-person business.
When This Isn’t Worth It
If your trade association already sends a solid monthly regulatory roundup, read that and skip the rest. Someone is already doing the summarizing for you.
And if you’re in a heavily regulated field like healthcare, finance, or food manufacturing, a feed and a chatbot are a backup, not a plan. Keep your accountant, attorney, or industry consultant in the loop.
Your Next Step
Pick the two agencies that matter most to your business, subscribe to their email updates today, and set up a filter that drops them into one folder. Next Friday, paste that week’s updates into a free chatbot and see what it flags.
Prices checked on vendor websites on October 8, 2026.