Jonny Cottom knows the challenges that come with running a startup on your own. Since launching his eco-friendly water bottle brand, BreakBottle, last year, he has been solely responsible for speaking to investors, pitching retailers, and running digital marketing campaigns. Today, Johnny uses a variety of AI tools to help manage the most time-consuming tasks, acting as a creative collaborator, from writing the first draft of social copy to developing sales strategies and brainstorming new ideas. Using AI, he says, gives you the capabilities of multiple humans to make better use of your time and grow your business.
Companies like BreakBottle aren’t the only ones benefiting from AI’s incredible potential. It can have a huge impact on businesses of all sizes and across the UK. The recent UK Economic Impact Report compiled by Public First highlights the magnitude of the opportunity. AI-powered innovation could create over £400bn of economic value for the UK economy by 2030.
Growth with AI will be more sustainable if it is for everyone. The report also highlights a significant lack of technology skills in the UK, which, if left unaddressed, will remain a stubborn barrier to fair national growth, especially as demand for AI and other technology expertise soars.
At Google, we’ve long believed that a healthy economy requires everyone to have the opportunity to participate. That’s why we’ve been focused on digital skills training for many years, delivering free training to over 1 million Brits in over 500 locations across the UK since 2015.
Free AI training for everyone
We are now expanding our digital skills training and delivering new AI training to everyone in the UK. New Fundamentals, a new free AI-focused training series, provides people and businesses with the practical skills and knowledge to take advantage of the benefits of AI, including saving time, landing new jobs, and growing your business. Google experts have designed 10 easy-to-understand modules packed with practical advice and tips focused on essential AI skills. Two of them will be released today.
Boost productivity with AI: Introducing the smartest ways AI tools can save you time. Learners will gain a clear understanding of what AI is, how it helps in everyday products, what can be done with large-scale language models, and how it can be used to further increase productivity, from brainstorming new ideas to writing code to offloading administrative tasks.
Understand machine learning: This course is designed for small business leaders and teaches them the potential of machine learning to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and accelerate growth. Learn how to apply different ML models, when and how to invest, and how to prepare data and resource data for machine learning projects. New data from the Federation of Small Businesses shows that just 2% of small businesses in the UK are using machine learning tools, so there is huge potential.
We were proud to see the reactions of the first 85 enthusiastic learners to complete the training at the Google Digital Garage event hosted by Ruth Porat, SVP and CFO of Google and Alphabet. And we look forward to releasing the next eight modules in the coming weeks, covering topics such as data, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and leadership in a digital world – how to use the skills and expertise needed to run an AI-enabled business.
Partnering to support UK AI leadership
The UK has a great opportunity to drive sustainable, inclusive and technology-led growth. It is clear that achieving this will require a collective effort.
That’s why, alongside this new AI training, we are calling for a new national skills service to help close the UK’s digital skills gap and identify, deliver and certify lifelong learning that helps people prepare for future opportunities.
Meanwhile, at Google, we remain committed to equipping people and companies like BreakBottle with digital tools and skills, and working with our ecosystem to ensure we build an AI-powered future that benefits everyone.
