Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for funding into AI tools and projects (1) to increase the productivity and efficiency of small businesses, and (2) to affect the market share of larger businesses.

The adoption of trustworthy AI across the UK public and private sectors will drive productivity and growth across the whole economy, supporting the government to deliver its Plan for Change.

We are targeting high-growth Industrial Strategy sectors and supporting diffusion across the whole economy, which includes addressing the challenges faced by SMEs. The cross-government Technology Adoption Review will set out recommendations for how government should work with industry to support businesses to adopt AI.

This builds on Innovate UK's £100 million BridgeAI programme, which has so far provided £68 million in funding to nearly 800 businesses to boost AI-enabled productivity.