The Scottish Government is committed to supporting businesses, including SMEs, to harness the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI). As part of the Programme for Government, we have committed to launching AI Scotland, our national transformation programme, which is founded on a strong partnership between business, academia, public agencies, and government. This programme is designed to accelerate AI adoption across sectors and ensure access to AI tools and expertise.

To support SMEs specifically we are also delivering on:

• The AI Playbook, which is being delivered by the AI Alliance and has been updated to better serve business audiences, offering a one-stop-shop for practical guidance, case studies, and resources tailored to the needs of SMEs.
• The Scottish AI Alliance has hosted a series of workshops with SMEs to understand their challenges and opportunities in adopting AI. Insights from these sessions are informing future support mechanisms.
• We are working with a senior governance group, which includes business leaders, to ensure that the AI Scotland programme remains responsive to the needs of industry and delivers meaningful impact for businesses of all sizes.

Further support is also being explored through enterprise agencies and innovation centres to ensure that SMEs can access the skills, infrastructure, and funding needed to integrate AI into their operations.