eBay launches £3m AI programme for UK SMEs
E-commerce giant eBay has unveiled a major initiative aimed at helping UK small businesses harness the power of AI and compete with larger enterprises.
The company’s new programme, ‘AI activate’, is a £3m investment that will provide up to 10,000 small enterprises with fully funded access to OpenAI-powered tools and tailored training to boost productivity and drive growth.
Designed specifically for businesses selling on eBay, ‘AI activate’ gives participating sellers up to 12 months of ChatGPT enterprise access, alongside personalised guidance to help them apply AI to their day-to-day operations.
A dedicated eBay team will work with sellers to develop custom GPTs, designed to tackle the most time-consuming and repetitive tasks, from managing inventory to crafting promotional campaigns.
Small businesses represent around 60 per cent of UK employment and account for roughly half of private-sector turnover, making their adoption of AI critical to national economic growth.
While a recent survey indicated strong interest in AI, with 69 per cent of online businesses expressing excitement or curiosity, many firms lack the expertise or resources to make the technology work for them.
The International Monetary Fund estimates that the widespread adoption of AI could add as much as £470bn to the UK economy by 2035.
eBay is the first online marketplace to offer this combination of enterprise-grade AI tools and hands-on training free of charge for its small business customers.
Eve Williams, general manager of eBay UK, said: “The issue is no longer whether businesses should adopt AI. It is how quickly they can start before their competitors do. That’s why eBay is investing to put world-class AI in the hands of small businesses and entrepreneurs, with no charge to them”.
Williams added that empowering SMEs with these tools ensures they can compete on a national and global level, thereby preventing AI from becoming the exclusive preserve of large corporations.
An opportunity to boost British SMEs
Mekel-Bobrov, eBay’s chief AI officer, emphasised that the programme goes beyond simple automation of eBay-specific tasks.
“It’s really about enabling them to do everything they do”, he told CityAM, noting that the wide range of small business workflows required a flexible approach.
The programme couples AI tools with tailored, step-by-step training sessions (both virtual and in-person), Mekel-Bobrov explained, to help sellers integrate the technology into their businesses.
The initiative also aims to tackle common pain points for small business owners, particularly time constraints.
“The biggest problem these small businesses have is time,” Mekel-Bobrov added. “Actually putting that back in their hands so they can focus on driving new business, rather than admin or finance, is critical”.
He highlighted early examples from the UK, including a small jewellery seller who used AI training to automate marketing tasks, freeing her up to run her business more efficiently.
AI tools will support tasks such as summarising customer reviews, producing financial analyses, generating promotional content, and managing inventory, tasks that can otherwise consume hours of a small business owner’s day.
“The feedback we got was not only that they want the tools, but it’s also vitally important they get the training to unlock it”, Mekel-Bobrov explained, pointing to the partnership with OpenAI as crucial for delivering both capabilities and guidance.
This approach aligns with broader efforts to expand AI adoption among UK SMEs. Despite AI’s transformative potential, estimated to unlock up to £78bn for the economy over the next decade, less than 20 per cent of small businesses have fully adopted the technology.
Former digital minister Feryal Clark called AI a “game changer – not just for the big players, but for small businesses and communities in every corner of the UK”, highlighting the importance of support in skills and finance to enable adoption.
Recent research also highlights the regional benefits of AI adoption. High-growth areas, such as West Yorkshire and Liverpool, could see billions added to local economic output within the next five years through effective adoption of SME AI.
Yet, challenges remain, including a lack of digital skills, limited access to finance, and a need for practical, accessible AI tools.
This programme seeks to address all these challenges. By providing enterprise-grade AI tools and tailored support, the company hopes to ensure smaller sellers are not left behind as AI reshapes the marketplace.
“With AI as with the internet before it, there is a risk that small businesses could fall behind”, Mekel-Bobrov added.