Google research highlights that 59% of UK SME owners have paused ‘game-changing’ ideas due to lack of time, with AI offering a solution to unlock £198 billion growth.
New research from Google reveals that a time crunch is preventing small business owners across the UK, including the North of England, from pursuing major innovations. More than half (59%) of UK small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners reported having paused significant "game-changing" ideas over the past year because they did not have the time to develop them.

These stalled innovations are estimated to be highly lucrative. SME leaders believe that implementing these ideas could boost their revenues by an average of 30%, contributing to a potential £198 billion ($250 billion) AI-powered economic boost for the UK SME sector as a whole.

AI Offers an 'Extra Day' of Productivity

Economic analysis conducted by Public First suggests that AI-powered tools, such as Google Workspace with Gemini, could increase SME productivity by 20%. This increase is comparable to effectively granting business leaders an extra working day each week—a vital benefit for SME owners who typically work an average of 49 hours over six days.

The increase in efficiency could free up time for leaders to focus on the innovative and strategic tasks that they believe will spur growth.

Google EMEA President Debbie Weinstein said: “The finding that over half of SMEs have had to pause innovation is a wake-up call, but also an opportunity. There is enormous potential for AI to free up some time for the nation’s business leaders to focus on strategic, innovative tasks that will spur growth for their businesses and the wider economy.”

Leeds to Host Nationwide AI Tour

To help regional businesses capitalise on this potential, Google is partnering with the Department for Business and Trade and NatWest on a nationwide "AI Works for Business" tour. The tour will teach SMEs how to use AI tools to improve efficiency, solve challenges, and unlock the 20% productivity boost.

The roadshow will stop in the North of England at TESTBED in Leeds on 16 October. SMEs interested in attending can pre-register online at https://cloudonair.withgoogle.com/events/ai-works-for-business.

Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, affirmed the partnership: “AI is transforming the way we work, and this partnership with Google will give small businesses vital hands-on experience of how to capitalise on the many benefits of AI to innovate, grow, and compete on the global stage. AI transformation is a crucial part of our mission to kickstart economic growth."

The AI Works for Business events are designed to ensure the SME sector, which employs over 16 million people, is well-poised to benefit from AI transformation, building on Google's previous work upskilling over a million Britons.