Why eBay is Giving 10,000 Sellers ChatGPT Enterprise Access

eBay is launching a programme to provide 10,000 UK small businesses with access to ChatGPT Enterprise and training on using AI tools. 

Working with OpenAI, Ebay is aiming to deliver the initiative at no cost to participating sellers.

The programme, called AI Activate, offers businesses that sell on eBay up to 12 months of access to ChatGPT.

The enterprise version provides additional features including data privacy controls and higher usage limits compared to consumer accounts.

How the collaboration targets the productivity gap

Small businesses account for three-fifths of employment in the UK and around half of private sector turnover. 

In response, the programme targets sellers on eBay’s platform with training designed to help them apply AI tools to tasks including financial analysis, marketing campaigns and business research. 

eBay plans to deliver training through virtual sessions initially, with in-person events starting in 2026.

The company developed the programme using research and interviews with sellers to identify areas where AI tools could reduce time spent on routine tasks. 

Then it will assign a team to work with participating businesses to develop custom GPTs, which are versions of ChatGPT configured for particular tasks or workflows. 

Custom GPTs allow organisations to train the model on their own data and create tools tailored to their operations.

“The issue is no longer whether businesses should adopt AI. It is how quickly they can start before their competitors do,” says Eve Williams, General Manager of eBay UK.

“Those businesses and economies that don’t invest in AI now risk being left behind. That’s why eBay is investing to put world-class AI in the hands of small businesses and entrepreneurs, with no charge to them.”

Research cited by eBay indicates that 69% of online businesses in the UK feel either excited or curious about AI’s potential – though many have not determined how to apply the technology to their operations. 

The company notes that 43% of respondents report feeling excited about AI while 26% describe themselves as curious.

The International Monetary Fund estimates that AI adoption could add £470bn (US$634.5bn) to UK GDP by 2035 – though this projection depends on how widely businesses implement the technology and whether productivity gains materialise at the projected rates.

How eBay embeds AI across marketplace operations

eBay positions itself as the first online marketplace to provide OpenAI’s enterprise tools with training at no cost to small business customers. 

The company has been integrating AI into its own operations, with employees globally gaining access to ChatGPT Enterprise to support tasks related to creativity and productivity.

The marketplace is deploying Gen AI tools for sellers creating product listings.

Now more than 10 million sellers on eBay’s platform have used these tools to create more than 300 million listings, with the company reporting that more than 500,000 new listings are generated daily using AI assistance.

“AI is reshaping ecommerce and eBay is all-in,” says Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov, Chief AI Officer (CAIO) at eBay.

“We see this as a generational opportunity to reimagine buying and selling for our customers, powered by three decades of marketplace insights and cutting-edge models.”

eBay states that AI-generated listings have contributed several billion dollars of gross merchandise value, the total value of goods sold through the platform. 

The company has not disclosed what proportion of total GMV comes from AI-assisted listings or how this compares to manually created listings.

Addressing small business AI adoption barriers

The AI Activate initiative shows the patterns in enterprise AI adoption, where larger organisations have moved faster to implement tools while smaller businesses face barriers including cost, technical expertise and uncertainty about applications. 

By providing both the software and training, eBay aims to reduce these barriers for businesses selling on its platform.

OpenAI’s enterprise offering provides businesses with administrative controls, data handling agreements and support services that differ from consumer ChatGPT accounts. 

These features address concerns about data security and compliance that businesses face when using AI tools.

“Small businesses power the UK economy, accounting for over 99% of the UK’s firms,” says Ronnie Chatterji, Chief Economist at OpenAI. 

“Yet for too long, they have not had the tools to drive increases in productivity the way larger firms do. 

“This collaboration could change that. By putting world-class AI tools in the hands of 10,000 UK entrepreneurs, we’re investing in the UK’s economic engine.”

The programme is a £3m (US$4m) investment from eBay – though the company has not detailed how this figure breaks down between software licensing costs, training development and staff resources allocated to supporting participants.

“We want British small businesses to win nationally and globally which means that the latest AI tools cannot be the preserve of big business,” Eve says. 

“They should be in the hands of every small business in Britain.”