- Ebay and Openai launch 3 million pounds Sterling Activate Program
- 10,000 British SMEs will obtain tailor -made training and advice from AI
- Chatgpt Enterprise and personalized GPTs are also on cards
Ebay and Openai have unveiled a new initiative of 3 million pounds Sterling, called AI Activate, to support small British businesses with artificial intelligence.
Companies have said that up to 10,000 small businesses selling on Ebay would be integrated into the program in 2025, giving them training and personalized advice on AI, a dedicated eBay team to help them create personalized GPTs and free access to Chatgpt Enterprise for a full year.
The last two months of 2025 will focus on online training before companies developed in people in 2026.
Ebay and Openai want to help British SMEs
Ebay underlined how SMEs represent approximately three-fifths of employment in the United Kingdom and half the turnover of the private sector. Previous research on the government has revealed that 99.9% of the UK’s commercial population in early 2024 was SMEs, highlighting the scope of the Ebay initiative.
To date, 10 million eBay sellers have used the generative tools of the platform to create more than 300 million announcements, the company has boasted.
“We want small British companies to gain national and global scale, which means that the latest IA tools cannot be the reserve of large companies,” said Eve Williams of Ebay UK, Eve Williams. “They should be in the hands of each small business in Great Britain.”
The campaign will focus on unlocking AI advantages through financial analysis, marketing and promotion, stock management and customer research.
“Giving small businesses the same tools and advantages as large retailers means that they can innovate and develop to capitalize on the AI era,” said Ebay’s director of Ebay, Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov.
Ebay added that 69%of online companies feel excited (43%) or curious (26%) of AI potential, but they do not have the resources to make it work for them.
Speaking of the AI activation plan, the chief economist of the Openai, Ronnie Chatterji, said: “If we want to fill the productivity gap, it is where to start.”
