53% of Small Businesses Say Better AI Skills Would Improve Their Work — A New Partnership Is Trying to Deliver Them

Small businesses want to use AI. Most just don’t know where to start. New research from Enterprise Nation, conducted in partnership with Sage, found that 53% of SMEs believe stronger AI skills would improve the quality, consistency, and speed of their work. Yet adoption remains uneven: 53% cite cost as a barrier, 46% cite lack of skills, and 37% say they simply don’t have the time to learn new tools.

To address the gap, Sage — the Newcastle-based leader in accounting, HR, and payroll software for small and mid-sized businesses — announced a new AI partnership with Google and Multiverse at the TechNExt event in the North East of England on June 16, 2026.

• The collaboration is designed to give small businesses practical AI skills, not theory — focusing on how AI fits into day-to-day tasks like funding bids, data reporting, and workflow automation
• The event was hosted in the North East AI Growth Zone, a regional initiative backed by local government, techUK, and major industry partners including Sage, Microsoft, and Google
• The partnership is part of the UK AI Skills Boost programme, with Sage, Google, and Multiverse working toward the UK government’s goal of upskilling 10 million people with AI skills by 2030

Jonathan Cowan, EVP at Sage, put the challenge directly: “Most businesses don’t need more theory — they need to know what works in practice.” Kate Alessi, MD & VP of Google UK & Ireland, added that “barriers like a lack of time and training keep many from taking the first step,” pointing to Google’s AI Works for Britain campaign as part of the broader response.

For small business operators, the partnership offers a concrete entry point: not a course or a product, but a set of practical tools and workflows to start using AI for tasks that are already costing them time.

Read the full article on Prolific North