By Reporter
Copyright walesonline
A new programme worth over £3 million to skill-up small UK businesses with fully funded access to the latest custom AI productivity tools and training to free up time and boost growth has been launched by eBay. Developed in collaboration with OpenAI, the programme is open to all businesses which sell on eBay with up to 10,000 to be onboarded this year. With small businesses accounting for three-fifths of UK employment and around half of turnover in the UK private sector, equipping them with the technology and skills to compete is critical to deliver growth. The programme will offer access to ChatGPT Enterprise for up to 12 months in addition to tailored training to help unlock its potential. Additional support will include a dedicated eBay team who will engage with sellers to develop custom GPTs which will be most beneficial to growing small businesses on eBay and beyond. There is strong appetite for using AI among UK small businesses, but also a need for assistance in applying it to achieve business impact. While 69% of online businesses feel excited (43%) or curious (26%) about AI’s potential, many are still working out how to make best use of the technology for them. Broader AI adoption could deliver a step change in UK productivity, with the IMF estimating that the technology could add as much as £470 billion to GDP by 2035. eBay is the first online marketplace to provide OpenAI’s tools and relevant training free to its small business customers. The training programme has been designed using insights from seller research and interviews which identified the greatest opportunities for AI to free up time and increase productivity. These include sessions on managing financial analysis, creating promotional campaigns and effective research. Training will take place virtually as well as moving to in-person sessions in 2026. Eve Williams, General Manager, eBay UK, said: “The issue is no longer whether businesses should adopt AI. “It is how quickly they can start before their competitors do. Those businesses and economies that don’t invest in AI now risk being left behind. That’s why eBay is investing to put world-class AI in the hands of small businesses and entrepreneurs, with no charge to them. “We want British small businesses to win nationally and globally which means that the latest AI tools cannot be the preserve of big business. They should be in the hands of every small business in Britain.” Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov, Chief AI Officer, eBay, said: “AI is reshaping ecommerce and eBay is all-in. We see this as a generational opportunity to reimagine buying and selling for our customers, powered by three decades of marketplace insights and cutting-edge models. “With AI Activate, we’re extending that vision to small businesses and making sure that they don’t have to figure this out alone. Giving small businesses the same tools and advantages as big retailers means that they can innovate and grow to capitalise on the AI era.” The launch of eBay AI Activate reflects a broader focus for the company on capitalising on AI, with artificial intelligence now embedded at the heart of the business. eBay has already invested in equipping its employees with ChatGPT Enterprise globally, focusing on its use to enhance team creativity, exploration and productivity. Across the platform, more than 10 million sellers worldwide have used eBay’s generative AI tools to create over 300 million listings, contributing several billion dollars of GMV, with more than 500,000 new listings generated every day. Ronnie Chatterji, Chief Economist at OpenAI commented: “Small businesses power the UK economy, accounting for over 99% of the UK’s firms. Yet for too long, they have not had the tools to drive increases in productivity the way larger firms do. “This collaboration could change that. By putting world-class AI tools in the hands of 10,000 UK entrepreneurs, we’re investing in the UK’s economic engine. If we want to close the productivity gap, this is where to start.” Businesses can register their interest here now HERE with the programme going live in November.
