A national programme helping Scottish companies capitalise on the benefits of AI has received funding for its second year.

Backed by £1.8 million of continued funding, AI Scotland will help small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to develop new products and services, grow market share and attract new investment.

The Programme offers support such as mentoring, workshops and grant funding to help businesses identify AI opportunities, plan AI implementation and develop and test AI solutions tailored to their needs.

This funding builds on last year’s National AI Adoption Programme for SMEs which received funding of £1 million and helped more than 1,000 business.

Scotland’s AI Strategy is the Government’s five-year plan to harness the potential of AI to drive responsible and inclusive growth across the economy and make a positive difference at every level of society.

The Strategy focuses on supporting sustainable growth and strengthening public services while ensuring that Scotland remains competitive in an ever-evolving global landscape

Innovation Minister Ben Macpherson said: “Ensuring our businesses have the skills to identify appropriate AI opportunities – and adopt new technologies safely and in line with Fair Work principles – will help drive sustainable growth across the economy and futureproof Scotland’s businesses.

“The vast majority of Scottish businesses are SMEs. The continuation of this programme means that even more of them will have access to the tools and expertise they need to help grow, innovate and flourish.”

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Rhona Allison, Managing Director of Company Growth & Scaling Innovation at Scottish Enterprise, said: “AI is creating new opportunities for businesses to innovate, compete and increase productivity. Adoption is accelerating, but many companies still need support to move from experimentation to meaningful business impact.

“This programme is about helping businesses turn potential into action. By giving companies, the confidence and capability to adopt and scale AI, we can help more Scottish businesses boost productivity, sharpen competitiveness and unlock new opportunities for growth.”

The AI Adoption Programme for SMEs is delivered by the Scottish Government’s Enterprise Agencies, Business Gateway and The Data Lab – Scotland‘s innovation centre for data and artificial intelligence.