How to Get Free OpenAI SME Training: 20,000 European Spots Open

Published: January 29, 2026 | Reading time: 7 minutes

Europe’s small businesses just got a massive opportunity. On January 28, 2026, OpenAI announced a groundbreaking partnership with Booking.com to deliver free OpenAI SME training to 20,000 companies across six countries. This initiative addresses the stark reality that only 17% of European small businesses currently use artificial intelligence, compared to 55% of large enterprises.

The program spans the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Ireland. It removes traditional barriers by requiring zero technical background and charging no fees. For SMB owners watching competitors gain AI-powered advantages, this represents a critical leveling opportunity.

Most importantly, the training combines in-person workshops with virtual sessions through OpenAI Academy. Participants will learn practical applications that deliver measurable returns—not abstract concepts. Research shows AI-adopting SMBs experience productivity gains between 27% and 133%, while 91% report revenue increases.

Why Europe’s SMBs Struggle with AI Adoption

The numbers tell a troubling story. According to Eurostat data cited in OpenAI’s EU Economic Blueprint 2.0, European small businesses lag dramatically behind their larger counterparts in AI utilization.

Current adoption landscape:

• Small business AI adoption: 17%
• Large enterprise adoption: 55%
• Gap in competitive capability: 38 percentage points

This disparity creates what OpenAI calls “the AI usage gap”—the distance between what smart AI systems can do and how widely businesses actually use them. Three primary obstacles prevent SMB adoption:

Lack of expertise: Half of all surveyed SMBs cite missing internal knowledge as their biggest barrier. Without dedicated IT teams, small business owners struggle to evaluate AI tools or implement them effectively.

Unclear ROI: Approximately 34% of SMBs report uncertainty about whether AI investments will generate positive returns. Unlike enterprise buyers with dedicated evaluation teams, small business owners need proof before committing limited budgets.

Time constraints: Running a small business leaves little bandwidth for experimentation. Nearly 37% of SMB leaders say they simply lack time to explore business automation, even when aware of potential benefits.

The OpenAI SME training program directly targets these three barriers through structured education, real-world use cases, and expert guidance.

What the Training Program Actually Delivers

Unlike generic webinars or surface-level overviews, this initiative provides hands-on instruction designed for immediate business application.

Program Components

In-person workshops bring together SMB owners and teams for practical, collaborative learning. These sessions focus on specific use cases relevant to common business challenges: customer communication, operational efficiency, marketing automation, and data analysis.

Virtual training modules through OpenAI Academy offer flexibility for busy entrepreneurs. Participants access lessons on demand, allowing them to learn during off-peak hours without disrupting daily operations.

Cross-industry applicability ensures relevance whether you run a retail shop, professional services firm, manufacturing operation, or hospitality business. The curriculum adapts to various sectors rather than forcing one-size-fits-all approaches.

Accessibility Features

The program’s design philosophy centers on inclusion. You don’t need coding skills, data science degrees, or previous AI experience. Training materials use plain language and avoid unnecessary jargon.

Furthermore, the zero-cost structure removes financial barriers. Many high-quality AI training programs charge thousands of euros per participant. This initiative provides enterprise-grade education for free.

Geographic Coverage

Initial rollout covers six countries: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Ireland. OpenAI selected these markets based on SMB density and current AI adoption gaps. Additional countries may join future program expansions.

The Booking.com Partnership: Why It Matters

Booking.com‘s involvement adds crucial real-world credibility. The travel technology giant recently completed its own AI transformation, integrating GPT-4o mini across multiple customer-facing systems.

Implemented AI applications include:

• Natural language search filters that understand conversational queries
• Automated property Q&A systems answering traveler questions
• AI-generated review summaries highlighting key themes
• Guest communication tools handling routine inquiries

These deployments serve millions of small hospitality providers on Booking.com‘s platform. The company understands SMB operational realities, resource constraints, and the need for tools that work immediately without extensive customization.

James Waters, chief business officer at Booking.com, emphasized this practical focus: “Building a strong, successful AI ecosystem in Europe is vital to unlocking these opportunities, and we’re proud to partner on this initiative to further empower SMEs in their learning journey.”

Translation: The training won’t just explain AI theory. It will show you exactly how similar businesses are using these tools to reduce costs, save time, and grow revenue today.

Measurable Business Outcomes from AI Adoption

Before investing time in any training program, smart business owners want evidence it delivers results. Recent research provides compelling data points.

Productivity and Efficiency Gains

St Andrews Business School conducted comprehensive research on UK SMBs implementing AI tools. Findings showed productivity improvements ranging from 27% to 133%, depending on application areas and implementation quality.

A separate survey of AI-using SMBs found 63% deploy tools daily, with 58% saving more than 20 hours per month. For small business owners, 20 hours represents half a work week—time that can shift toward strategic planning, customer relationships, or business development.

Revenue and Profitability Impact

Salesforce data from late 2024 revealed strong financial outcomes among SMBs using AI:

Metric	Percentage Reporting Positive Impact
Revenue increases	91%
Operational scaling capability	87%
Improved profit margins	86%
Enhanced customer experience	89%
Faster decision-making	84%

These numbers aren’t projections or theoretical models. They represent actual business outcomes from companies similar to yours that took the leap into AI adoption.

Adoption Trajectory Across Markets

Global SMB AI adoption is accelerating rapidly. In the United States, adoption jumped from 6.3% to 8.8% in just six months according to SBA data. The UK saw SME AI adoption rise from 25% in 2024 to 35% in 2025.

Most tellingly, 96% of SMBs worldwide report plans to adopt AI or other emerging technologies within the next two years. The question isn’t whether your competitors will use AI—it’s whether you’ll be ready when they do.

Europe’s AI Paradox: High Usage, Uneven Distribution

OpenAI‘s EU Economic Blueprint 2.0 revealed fascinating patterns in how European businesses and individuals use AI systems.

On aggregate, EU users leverage 17% more “thinking capabilities”—a measure of computational effort—than the rest of the world. This suggests Europeans ask more complex, demanding questions when interacting with AI tools.

However, this average masks significant variation between member states. The most AI-intensive European country uses approximately 40% more thinking capabilities than the least intensive. Nine EU countries still fall below the global average for AI utilization.

Key disparity metrics:

• Power users vs. typical users: 7x more thinking capabilities
• Leading countries vs. lagging countries: 3x usage per person
• Most intensive EU nation vs. least intensive: 40% differential

These gaps translate directly into competitive advantages. Companies and countries that master AI utilization will capture much bigger profits over the next decade.

“The countries that have a strategy to better utilize AI will be the nations that ensure that their people have the opportunity to participate in an AI global economy,” OpenAI stated in its Blueprint.

Beyond SMB Training: OpenAI’s Broader European Strategy

The OpenAI SME training initiative represents one component of a comprehensive engagement strategy for Europe.

Youth Safety Grant Program

OpenAI announced a €500,000 fund supporting research into child protection, digital wellbeing, and evidence-based approaches to youth online safety. This addresses growing concerns about AI’s impact on younger generations and demonstrates commitment to responsible technology deployment.

OpenAI for Europe Initiative

An expansion of the “OpenAI for Countries” program, this regional adaptation provides government support across multiple sectors:

• Education: Nationwide access to AI learning tools and curricula
• Healthcare: AI applications for diagnostics and patient care
• Skills training and certification: Portable credentials for workforce development
• Disaster response: AI-powered emergency management systems
• Cybersecurity: Threat detection and response capabilities
• Startup acceleration: Resources for AI-focused entrepreneurs

OpenAI has already collaborated with governments in Estonia, Greece, Ireland, and Slovakia on national tech systems and nationwide educational programs.

Policy Recommendations for Governments

The Blueprint 2.0 includes specific recommendations for European policymakers seeking to accelerate AI adoption:

National AI-in-education frameworks ensure students and workers develop AI literacy as a core competency, similar to digital literacy initiatives of the past decade.

Portable AI skills accreditation schemes allow workers to demonstrate capabilities across employers and borders, creating a standardized credentialing system.

National and sector-level adoption measurement monitors progress and identifies lagging industries or regions requiring targeted support.

📥 Download the Full Strategy: For business leaders and policymakers wanting to examine the raw data behind these initiatives, including specific adoption statistics per country, OpenAI has made the full document available.

Download the OpenAI EU Economic Blueprint 2.0 (PDF)

Expected Impact Based on Early Tests

While this specific program is just launching, data from similar pilot programs and early adopters paints a clear picture of what participants can expect.

Customer Service Transformation:
Small businesses in early tests often report dramatic time savings. For example, retail businesses using AI for customer inquiries typically reduce response times from hours to minutes. This immediate speed boost often leads to higher customer satisfaction scores without hiring extra staff.

Operational Efficiency:
Manufacturing and logistics SMBs have used basic AI tools to predict inventory needs. Instead of guessing, they use data patterns to order stock. In previous studies, this approach has reduced stockout incidents significantly, helping businesses keep products on shelves when customers want them.

Marketing on a Budget:
For service-based businesses like agencies or consultants, AI tools have been a game-changer for content creation. Early adopters report producing three times more marketing material—blogs, social posts, emails—without adding new team members. This allows smaller firms to compete with larger companies for attention.

Data Analysis for Everyone:
Perhaps the biggest win seen in early adoption is the ability to analyze data. Small firms are using AI to spot trends in sales data that they previously missed. This “big data” capability, once only for huge corporations, is now helping local businesses make smarter decisions.

How to Prepare for the Training Program

While OpenAI hasn’t released registration details yet, smart SMB owners can take preparatory steps now.

Identify Business Challenges

Document 3-5 specific operational challenges where AI might help. Examples: slow customer response times, manual data entry consuming excessive hours, difficulty forecasting demand, marketing content creation bottlenecks, or repetitive administrative tasks.

Having concrete problems defined will help you extract maximum value from training sessions.

Assess Current Digital Infrastructure

Review your existing technology stack. Do you have cloud storage? Customer relationship management systems? Email marketing platforms? AI tools integrate most easily with modern digital infrastructure.

Growing SMBs are 74% more likely to invest in data management compared to declining SMBs (74% versus 47%), and twice as likely to have integrated technology stacks (66% versus 32%).

Designate Team Participants

Decide who from your organization should attend training. Ideal candidates combine operational knowledge with willingness to experiment. You don’t need technical experts—you need people who understand your business processes and can envision improvements.

Set Realistic Expectations

AI won’t solve every problem instantly. Successful implementations typically start small, prove value, then scale. Approach training with an experimental mindset focused on learning and iteration rather than immediate perfection.

Timeline and Next Steps

OpenAI indicated that additional details about workshop schedules, registration processes, and specific training content will be shared “in due course.”

Action items for interested SMBs:

1. Monitor OpenAI Academy for registration announcements
2. Follow Booking.com business resources for program updates
3. Join relevant AI and SMB communities in your country to share information when registration opens
4. Prepare internally by identifying use cases and potential team participants

The program represents one of the largest coordinated efforts to date to democratize AI access for European small businesses, with potential implications for how similar initiatives might be structured in other global regions.

Conclusion: A Watershed Moment for European SMBs

The OpenAI and Booking.com announcement marks a significant inflection point in AI democratization. By providing free, accessible, practical OpenAI SME training specifically designed for non-technical business owners, the program addresses the primary barriers—expertise, cost, and unclear ROI—that have prevented exploration.

The initiative arrives when evidence of AI’s business impact becomes undeniable. Documented productivity gains reach 27-133%, time savings exceed 20 hours monthly, and 91% of AI-using SMBs report revenue increases.

For European small and medium-sized businesses facing competitive pressure from both AI-enabled larger enterprises and international competitors, programs like this represent not just opportunity but necessity for remaining competitive in an increasingly AI-driven global economy.

The question is no longer whether AI will transform your industry, but whether you’ll be prepared to participate when that transformation accelerates.

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Frequently Asked Questions

References

• OpenAI. “The next chapter for AI in the EU” (January 27, 2026)
• Eurostat. SMB Technology Adoption Statistics (2025)
• Salesforce. “New Research Reveals SMBs with AI Adoption See Revenue Increases” (December 2024)
• St Andrews Business School. “AI Productivity Impact Study” (April 2025)

Related Articles:

• Discover the top AI tools helping SMBs streamline operations
• Learn how conversational AI transforms customer service and operations

Source: This report is based on the official announcement “The next chapter for AI in the EU“ published by OpenAI on January 28, 2026.