What we ask
What we are asking for
Five practical changes could help small businesses in every part of Wales to put AI to work. Each one rests on the evidence in our initial report.
These are our asks as a group of Welsh businesses. We will develop them into specific recommendations as our monitoring continues.
We are asking the Welsh Government and Business Wales, councils and regional bodies, and the UK Government.
Ask 1. A dedicated budget for small business AI adoption, set for several years
What we ask
We are asking for a dedicated budget for small business AI adoption within the AI plan for Wales. It should be set for several years at a time, starting with the 2027-28 budget, and its results should be measured by company size and region.
Why it would help
Help needs to last long enough to show results. Earlier Welsh programmes tended to stop when their funding stopped, just as they began to work.
We know money is tight. The Welsh Government says that day-to-day funding will still be 0.5% lower in real terms next year.
The evidence
- The AI plan for Wales has no budget, targets or timeline of its own. It says that achieving its vision “will require significant investment and prioritisation”.
- No spending has yet been reported from the £2.1m package announced in January 2026 to help small businesses adopt AI.
- The 2027-28 draft budget is due on 17 November 2026, and the Final Budget on 16 February 2027.
- For scale, matching Northern Ireland’s spending per person would cost about £4.5m a year. That is about 20% of the £22.5m core Business Wales budget for 2026-27. The report gives this as an illustration of scale, not a proposal.
Ask 2. A route designed for microbusinesses and sole traders
What we ask
We are asking for a clear pathway designed for the smallest companies. It would run from awareness events to a short one-to-one review with an AI adviser, then hands-on technical help and a matched grant, with a small matched voucher for microbusinesses and sole traders.
Why it would help
Microbusinesses are 94.6% of businesses in Wales. Support that does not reach them and sole traders would miss most Welsh businesses and much of the rural economy.
The evidence
- The government’s Business Support Review recommended “a clear pathway including dedicated support, for SMEs to adopt AI”.
- No part of the current offer is designed around the smallest companies. The training subsidy’s 25% employer contribution fits sole traders poorly.
- In Ireland, companies with between one and 50 paid employees can receive a voucher worth half the cost, up to €5,000, which can pay for off-the-shelf AI software. In the Basque Country, live online training in digital skills is offered to microbusinesses and the self-employed.
- As an illustration, the report shows that about £4.5m a year could pay for a pathway of support for about 1,300 companies a year.
Ask 3. Support led from Wales, in Welsh and English
What we ask
We are asking for support delivered by advisers, colleges, universities and companies based in Wales, working in Welsh and English. AI tools should be tested in Welsh before they are recommended.
Why it would help
Local partners reached the most companies in earlier Welsh programmes. Welsh speakers should be able to get help in the language they work in.
The evidence
- Opportunity Wales reached nearly 12,000 small companies through local delivery partners. Help to Grow: Digital, a national UK scheme, reached 20 Welsh companies, and its evaluators recommended local channels and one-to-one advice.
- Wales already has relevant capacity. M-SParc, a Welsh science park, is delivering the Business Wales programme, and the Hartree Centre Cardiff Hub at Cardiff University had assisted 70 small and medium-sized companies by September 2025.
- Most people in Gwynedd and on Anglesey speak Welsh. The Welsh Language Commissioner advises testing AI tools in Welsh before they are used.
Ask 4. Council grants that cover AI software, subscriptions and training
What we ask
We are asking councils to allow AI software, subscriptions and training in their business grants where these are for adopting AI, with checks to make sure the grant pays for something new.
Why it would help
Most AI tools are sold as subscriptions, so these rules affect AI adoption directly. Changing the rules would need no new money.
The evidence
- Business grants funded by the Local Growth Fund in at least seven council areas, in north and south Wales, exclude or restrict these costs.
- A change would need to guard against paying for subscriptions that companies would have bought anyway.
- Some of these grants are on hold or closed to new applications, so the rules will matter most when the next rounds are designed.
Ask 5. A clear route for AI Growth Zone money to reach local small businesses
What we ask
We are asking for a published scheme that shows how the AI Growth Zone money for local adoption will reach local small businesses. We would like it delivered through existing Welsh support, so that companies meet one offer rather than two.
Why it would help
A data centre will not, on its own, show a local company how to use AI. The local money is there to help with that.
The evidence
- Up to £5m has been announced for each of the two Welsh AI Growth Zones for business adoption and skills, although its stated purposes also include research and start-ups.
- The £10m for the two Welsh zones is most of the £11.1m announced for helping businesses in Wales adopt AI.
- No scheme, delivery body or amount reserved for small companies had been published by late October 2026, and the UK Budget of 28 October 2026 did not mention it.
Do you agree?
If you run a small business in Wales, add your voice. The more businesses that join, the clearer it is what Welsh small businesses need.