Event Details

Roundtable at the Labour Party Conference 2025 that will discuss how SMEs can be supported to accelerate the adoption of AI, while continuing to offer vital employment opportunities in a just and equitable way.

The Government’s modern Industrial Strategy aims to seize the most significant opportunities for the UK economy, such as the fundamental impact of AI could have on driving additional productivity and growth in the decade to come.

But for many organisations the adoption of AI to transform processes and operations presents significant challenges and risks. This is particularly true for SMEs, which represent 48%% of UK business turnover, and account for 60% of employment.

The Technology Adoption Review found that businesses face a number of barriers, including financing constraints, lack of management skills, information gaps, and policy and regulatory uncertainty. In addition, there are concerns as to the impact that the adoption of AI will have on entry level jobs, recruitment practices and career progression for many workers.

Perhaps unsurprisingly therefore, only one in five UK businesses (18%) have adopted AI, and Government research shows that UK SMEs are among the least likely tech adopters in the G7.

This roundtable will bring together politicians, business leaders, think tanks, academics and representative bodies to discuss how SMEs can be supported to accelerate the adoption of AI, while continuing to offer vital employment opportunities in a just and equitable way.