eBay is launching a new £3 million programme in collaboration with OpenAI to support up to 10,000 UK small businesses with AI tools and training.

The move will give UK sellers access to the latest custom AI productivity tools, including ChatGPT Enterprise, for up to 12 months.

The digital marketplace said that additional support will include a dedicated eBay team which will help businesses develop custom GPTs.

The training programme has been developed using insights from seller research and interviews.

It will focus on the areas of automating administration and finance tasks, generating promotional content and campaigns, analysing sales and category data, and improving product listings.

“AI is reshaping e-commerce and eBay is all-in,” said Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov, chief AI officer, eBay. “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.”

He went on to say that the programme will give small businesses the same tools and advantages as big retailers, meaning that they can "innovate and grow to capitalise on the AI era.”

eBay says it is the first online marketplace to provide OpenAI’s tools and relevant training free to its small business customers.

“The issue is no longer whether businesses should adopt AI," said Eve Williams, general manager, eBay UK. "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."

Blair McDougall, minister for small business and economic transformation said that given that increasing SME growth by just one per cent per year could deliver £320 billion to the economy by 2030, programme's like the one being launched by eBay are "so important".

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