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The company has launched a national programme with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and NatWest to help small firms understand how tools like Gemini in Google Workspace can save time and boost creativity.
The findings come from Google’s latest AI Works for Business campaign, which highlights how small businesses can use AI to free up hours usually lost to admin and repetitive work.
The company’s analysis, carried out with Public First, estimates that more innovative use of AI tools could improve productivity by around 20 per cent across the SME sector.
In economic terms, that’s a potential £198 billion boost to the UK economy.
The report, based on polling by Censuswide, found that more than half of small business owners (59 per cent) have had to put “game-changing” ideas on hold during the past year because they lacked the time to act on them.
Two-thirds said that if they had more time to innovate, they could grow revenues significantly, and over a third believe their innovations could raise sales by 30 per cent or more.
Google’s message is that AI could give owners that extra capacity. By automating basic work, it argues, entrepreneurs can focus on the creative and strategic ideas that make a business stand out.
The company says the technology can be applied to many everyday tasks, from writing marketing content and handling spreadsheets to planning logistics or customer communication.
To turn the findings into action, Google is taking its AI training on the road. The AI Works for Business Tour will visit Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Cardiff this autumn, offering free workshops on practical ways to use Gemini and other Workspace tools.
Sessions will show how AI can automate routine work, organise data, and support collaboration across teams.
According to Google, the events have been designed with input from educators, small business groups and trade unions following pilot projects run earlier this year.
They are part of a wider partnership with the Department for Business and Trade, which aims to increase the adoption of digital technology among SMEs.
Google says the goal is not just to promote its products but to help business owners build confidence in using AI safely and effectively. The company claims to have trained more than a million people in digital skills over the past decade through its Grow with Google initiative.
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Several organisations are backing the tour, including NatWest Group and small business platform Enterprise Nation.
Both are longstanding partners in SME support and say they see AI as a practical way to reduce workloads and increase output without increasing costs.
Robert Begbie, CEO of Commercial and Institutional Banking at NatWest, said the partnership aims to help small business customers “reclaim time, unlock creativity and scale their ambitions”.
Enterprise Nation’s CEO Aaron Asadi added that most founders are interested in AI but need direction and examples that show real results, not just hype.
The programme also includes a campaign called “10 Stories”, which profiles real small businesses already using AI in Google Workspace.
Featured firms include Roly’s Fudge, Kent Brushes and Peregrine. Each story demonstrates how automation tools can handle background work, allowing owners to focus on customers and product development.
One example highlighted by Google is Roly’s Fudge, which uses Gemini to categorise and review ingredients for new flavours across its stores. Co-owner Matthew Pugh says the system keeps recipes organised, freeing up time for product innovation and customer engagement.
“It means we can spend more time doing what matters — creating new flavours, speaking with customers and being with family,” he said.
Another case study from Enterprise Nation suggests that AI could help cut down on admin-heavy tasks such as invoicing, proposal writing and stock management, areas where many self-employed people lose hours each week.
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, said the initiative fits with the government’s Plan for Small Businesses, which promotes digital adoption and upskilling.
“AI is transforming the way we work, and this partnership with Google will give small businesses vital hands-on experience of how to capitalise on its benefits,” he said.
The DBT says it wants to help 7.5 million people gain new digital skills by 2030, with small business owners forming a significant part of that group.
The partnership with Google is one of several projects under its plan to encourage more SMEs to use new tools that can drive productivity and growth.
For many small business owners, AI still feels distant or overly technical. The hope is that programmes like this will make it easier to experiment without the pressure of investment or risk.
Google says that once people start noticing small time savings – a few minutes less spent on emails or reports – they quickly gain confidence to try more.
Industry observers note that large corporations have already integrated AI deeply into their operations, but smaller firms tend to lag behind due to a lack of time, money and technical skills.
Initiatives like this could start closing that gap, provided they focus on education rather than sales.
Registration for the free AI Works for Business events is open now through Google Cloud’s event portal at cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/ai-works-for-business.
The tour will run through autumn 2025 with further dates expected if demand is strong.
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