Ebay has launched a new “AI activate” programme in collaboration with OpenAI.
The programme, which is worth over £3m, is designed 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.
The tool will go live in November, and is open to all businesses selling on Ebay, with up to 10,000 expected to be onboarded this year.
AI Activate will offer access to ChatGPT Enterprise for up to a year alongside tailored training. 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.
Ebay is the first online marketplace to provide OpenAI’s tools and relevant training for free to its small business customers. The programme has been designed using insights from seller research and interviews which found the biggest opportunities for AI to free up time and boost productivity.
Training will take place virtually as well as moving to in-person sessions next year.
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The launch comes as there is a “strong appetite” for using AI among UK small businesses, alongside a need for help in applying it to achieve business impact, according to the company.
Although 69% of online businesses feel excited (43%) or curious (26%) about AI’s potential, many are still working out how to best use the technology.
Ebay chief AI officer Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov 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.”
Last week, Asda revealed an AI and Cloud tie-up with Microsoft, marking one of the largest technology deals in UK retail.
The move is set to accelerate the grocer’s transition to a cloud-first operational model, powered by Microsoft’s artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies.
In July, Morrisons also unveiled plans to build an AI-powered “digital twin” of its supply chain.
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