AI assistant rollout checklist for a small UK firm: plan, contract, policy, first month
28 steps for bringing an AI assistant into a small UK firm: the plan, the vendor contract, the house rules, switching it on and the first month's review.
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AI for small firms
What the AI assistants cost, what their terms say about your data, and what a small UK firm can safely hand to one. 17 guides so far.
Free toolsQuestions answeredKey factsChoosing an AI assistantWhat it costsData, privacy and the rulesPutting it to work
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AI assistant rollout checklist28 steps for bringing an AI assistant into a small UK firm: the plan, the vendor contract, the house rules, switching it on and the first month's review.Is your firm's use of AI assistants in order? Ten yes-or-no questions for a small UK firmTen yes-or-no questions on the plan, the vendor contract, the privacy notice, the written policy, checked output and personal accounts, each with its rule.Telling customers about AI: which rule appliesPick what the AI was used for and answer up to two more questions. One of eight outcomes gives the UK rule on telling the customer, and what to do.AI assistant plans: which one fits this firmFive questions on headcount, customer data, your office suite and billing lead to one of seven outcomes, each with the plans that fit and their UK prices.AI rules notice to staff makerA ten-line AI policy a small UK firm can copy today: which tools, what never goes in, who checks, what to do when it is wrong, and the rule behind each line.Customer data and AI assistants: which rule appliesFive questions on what the data is, whose account it is and what paperwork is in place, leading to one of seven outcomes with the ICO rule behind each.
Choosing an AI assistant
Which AI assistant plan fits a small UK firm? Five questions, seven outcomes, prices in pounds
Five questions on headcount, customer data, your office suite and billing lead to one of seven outcomes, each with the plans that fit and their UK prices.
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Microsoft 365 Copilot vs Gemini for a small UK firm: business plans compared on price, data terms and admin controls
Five seats for a year cost £708 to £900 before VAT on the four business plans. Each vendor's price, training terms and admin controls on 1 October 2026.
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How ready is your firm for AI? Find out in 3 minutes.Take the 3-minute readiness scorecard
How ready is your firm for AI? Find out in 3 minutes.Take the 3-minute readiness scorecardWhat it costs
How much can you use an AI assistant before you hit a limit? Usage limits on paid ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini plans
What each vendor's help pages say about usage limits on paid plans, which give a number and which give none, and what happens when a seat runs out.
Can you claim ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot as a business expense? The rules for a sole trader, a limited company and VAT
Yes, if it is used for the business. How an AI subscription is treated for a sole trader and a limited company, the £1,000 trading allowance, and VAT.
How much does ChatGPT cost for a small business in the UK? Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise prices, VAT and a yearly figure for 1, 5 and 10 people
ChatGPT Business is £15 a seat a month billed annually, £18 monthly. Every plan on the page on 1 October 2026, VAT, and a yearly cost for 1, 5 and 10 people.
How much does Claude cost for a small business in the UK? Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise prices, VAT and a yearly figure for 1, 5 and 10 people
Claude Team is £18 a seat a month billed annually, VAT included. Every plan on 1 October 2026, seat minimums and a yearly cost for 1, 5 and 10 people.
Microsoft 365 Copilot for a small business: UK cost, the plan you need first, what it can see and what happens to your data
Copilot is £13.80 to £16.10 a user a month on top of a Microsoft 365 plan, or £18.10 as a bundle. Five-person yearly cost, what it reads and the data terms.
Data, privacy and the rules
Do you have to tell the customer AI was used? Five questions to find the UK rule for your case
Pick what the AI was used for and answer up to two more questions. One of eight outcomes gives the UK rule on telling the customer, and what to do.
AI policy for a small UK firm: a one-page template to copy, with the rule behind each line
A ten-line AI policy a small UK firm can copy today: which tools, what never goes in, who checks, what to do when it is wrong, and the rule behind each line.
Can this go into ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot? Five questions on customer data for a UK firm
Five questions on what the data is, whose account it is and what paperwork is in place, leading to one of seven outcomes with the ICO rule behind each.
Do you have to tell customers you used AI? What UK rules say about emails, chatbots, adverts and automated decisions
No general UK rule says AI use must be labelled. Where you must tell people: their data, decisions made with no person involved, and anything that misleads.
Is it legal to put customer data into ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot? What UK GDPR asks of a small firm first
Yes, on a business plan with five things in place first: a lawful basis, a vendor contract, a transfer route, a privacy notice line and a DPIA where needed.
Putting it to work
AI assistant rollout checklist for a small UK firm: plan, contract, policy, first month
28 steps for bringing an AI assistant into a small UK firm: the plan, the vendor contract, the house rules, switching it on and the first month's review.
Is your firm's use of AI assistants in order? Ten yes-or-no questions for a small UK firm
Ten yes-or-no questions on the plan, the vendor contract, the privacy notice, the written policy, checked output and personal accounts, each with its rule.
What happens when AI gets it wrong: two UK judgments on made-up AI output, what the vendors' own terms say, and a five-step check
Harber v HMRC (2023) and Ayinde (2025): invented cases reached a UK tribunal and the High Court. What four AI vendors' terms say, and a five-step check.
What is an AI agent, in plain English, and how is it different from a chatbot? Four vendors' own definitions and what a small office should let one do
An AI agent plans a task and uses tools to act; a chatbot answers and stops. What OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Google said on 1 October 2026.
Which office jobs can an AI assistant take on? Our count of 80 jobs in ten trades: 60 it can prepare, 20 it cannot
We listed 80 office jobs across ten trades. An AI assistant can prepare 60 for a person to approve; 20 stay with a person. The count, and how we made it.