Artificial intelligence has gone from novelty to normal remarkably fast. A British Chambers of Commerce survey of 668 businesses early this year found 54% of SMEs actively using AI, up from 35% in 2025. Simply Business’s research in September put small-firm use at 47%, more than double a year earlier.

But “using AI” often means one person occasionally asking a chatbot to tidy an email. The firms getting real returns are the ones that pick a specific job, measure the time saved and build it into how they work.

Where small firms are finding value

• Admin and email. Drafting quotes, chasing invoices, summarising long emails and turning meeting notes into action lists.
• Marketing. First drafts of social posts, product descriptions, newsletters and website copy, which a human then edits for voice and accuracy.
• Customer service. Answering common questions out of hours, triaging enquiries and drafting replies.
• Finance. Categorising transactions, spotting late payers and building simple cash-flow forecasts. Many accounting packages now have this built in, which helps with Making Tax Digital (see Article 5).
• Scheduling and rotas. Matching staff availability to busy periods, useful for hospitality and care.

The risks to manage

• Accuracy. AI tools can produce confident nonsense. Anything going to a customer, a regulator or HMRC needs a human check.
• Data protection. Don’t paste customers’ personal data, staff records or confidential contracts into free consumer tools. Use business versions with clear data terms, and update your privacy notice if AI handles personal data.
• Your voice. Customers notice generic, machine-sounding copy. Use AI for the first draft, not the final word.
• Staff. Involve your team early. The most successful adopters use AI to remove drudgery, not to surprise people.

Help on the way

In June the Mayor of London announced a £12 million, three-year programme, £4 million a year, to help London’s SMEs adopt AI. Developed by London & Partners with the Mayor’s AI and Jobs Taskforce, it will offer AI readiness assessments, expert mentoring, workshops and tailored adoption guidance. The delivery model is being finalised, and Grow London Local, the free front door for small business support in the capital, is already briefing businesses on eligibility.

For manufacturers, the Made Smarter adoption programme in London offers matched funding of up to £20,000 towards digital tools and equipment, with the business contributing at least half.

A simple 30-day plan

1. Week 1: List the five tasks that eat most of your week. Pick the most repetitive one.
2. Week 2: Try one business-grade AI tool on that task for a week. Time it before and after.
3. Week 3: Write a one-page AI policy: what tools are allowed, what data must never go in, who checks the output.
4. Week 4: Decide: keep, change or drop. Then pick the next task.