AI for Growth: How we're helping our customers harness the power of AI

Are you using artificial intelligence (AI) in your business? We know that while many business owners might have dabbled in ChatGPT for marketing material or asked Gemini to write an email, many small businesses are not yet using AI in a way that drives real, meaningful impact.

AI adoption among the UK’s small business owners

According to Government’s most recent AI Adoption Research, the vast majority (80%) of UK businesses neither use, nor have plans yet to use, AI.     

However, of those who are using it, 75% report improved productivity of the workforce, and 34% have been able to reduce production or operating costs. 

While businesses are keen to benefit from AI adoption, the research shows the majority (71%) don’t know how it can be used in their business. Business owners also feel held back by a lack of expertise and skills, ethical concerns, high costs and unclear regulation. 

Accelerating AI adoption for UK business growth 

To bridge this knowledge gap, the AI for Growth initiative has been set up to accelerate wide-scale AI adoption by UK businesses and unlock a new era of growth. Designed to democratise access to AI knowledge and skills, AI for Growth is a game changer for small businesses.

Here we explain what AI for Growth means for your small business, and how you can cost-effectively reskill your team to future-proof your business, boost productivity, improve resilience and stay competitive.

What is AI for Growth? 

AI for Growth is the UK’s first cross-sector alliance dedicated to helping businesses adopt AI – practically, securely and at scale. It is backed by leading tech companies, including Accenture, Founders Forum and now, Funding Circle.

We know from firsthand experience how pivotal AI can be for business success, which is why we’re proud to have joined AI for Growth as an SME Reach Partner. By sharing our expertise, we are committing to help small businesses thrive in a digital-first economy.   

Backing small businesses goes beyond finance

For us, backing small businesses to succeed goes beyond finance. It’s about giving our customers the tools they need to grow and thrive. By taking part in initiatives like AI for Growth, we are actively investing in our customers’ long-term success. 

This means we can provide our customers with free access to world-class expertise and peer learning to boost their productivity and resilience through AI adoption.

How AI for Growth can help your business 

We know AI can feel daunting. Knowing where to start, what AI to use, ensuring data privacy, and integrating AI into your existing teams and processes are all reasons business owners have been holding back. 

By bringing together industry experts as well as businesses across the UK, AI for Growth is a peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing platform. UK business owners are being invited to join the free SME AI Community to find out from others what’s working in their business, ask questions and learn.    

The SME AI Community is free to join and includes real use cases from businesses similar to yours, practical guides, tools and sector-specific playbooks, and events, webinars and resources designed to be accessible to all – even if you have no existing AI knowledge.

We’re so excited to be able to bring this incredible opportunity to our customers and hope you’ll join us there to explore where AI could take your business. Joining the SME AI Community is free. Click here to sign up today.

01/06/26: While we want to help as much as we can, the information found here is provided solely for informational purposes and should not be considered financial or legal advice. To the extent permitted by law, Funding Circle does not accept any liability for any loss or damage which may arise directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, the information contained here. If you have any questions, please speak to your professional adviser or seek independent legal advice.