eBay has launched a £3m programme developed in collaboration with OpenAI to expand the skillset of small UK businesses with access to the latest custom AI productivity tools and training.
The AI Activate programme is open to all businesses that sell on eBay, with up to 10,000 to be onboarded this year. Its value includes 12 months of ChatGPT Enterprise licences for 10,000 businesses, plus custom GPTs from eBay, tailored training across multiple business areas and ongoing support from a dedicated eBay team.
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 for growth.
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.
“The issue is no longer whether businesses should adopt AI – it is how quickly they can start before their competitors do,” says Eve Williams, general manager at eBay UK.
“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.”
The training programme has been designed using insights from seller research and interviews, which identified the best opportunities for AI to free up time and increase productivity. These include sessions on managing financial analysis, creating promotional campaigns and effective research.
eBay is the first online marketplace to provide OpenAI’s tools and relevant training for free to its small business customers. Training will take place both virtually and via in-person sessions in 2026.
“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,” said Ronnie Chatterji, chief economist at OpenAI.
“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.”
Across the eBay platform, more than 10 million sellers worldwide have used eBay’s generative AI tools to create over 300 million listings.
