The debate in Westminster is often framed around how quickly small businesses can adopt AI. That matters, of course. But there is another question the government should be asking – how can it use AI itself to serve businesses better?

At Enterprise Nation, we support a community of more than 170,000 members and reach over one million small businesses every year through our programmes, content, events and partnerships. What we see consistently is that small firms are open to innovation, but they are also time poor, resource constrained and often overwhelmed by the complexity of the support landscape around them.

This is the real challenge. The UK does not necessarily lack business support. There are schemes, pilots, mentoring offers, skills programmes and funding initiatives across government and the wider ecosystem. The problem is that many founders do not know what exists, whether they qualify, or when it is relevant to them.

For many entrepreneurs, support is not absent. It is invisible.

“For many entrepreneurs, support is not absent. It is invisible.”

Across our community, small business owners are already using AI in practical and valuable ways. They are not waiting for permission. They are experimenting, adapting and integrating these tools into everyday operations.

Max Oliveira, who runs a strategic marketing advisory practice, told us AI has become central to how he …