A study has revealed that approximately 40% of UK employees receive ‘work slop’ caused by low-quality, AI-generated content. As a result, it is estimated that each instance of work slop takes up to 3.5 hours each month to correct, resulting in millions of pounds in lost productivity. Jim Benton, CEO at Adapt, an AI agent platform for businesses, has explained what work slop is and the steps companies can take to protect themselves from it. “It has been reported that as of mid-2026, approximately 78% of global businesses are using AI in at least one business function. Despite this, studies have…
Author: sme-admin
A simple request for information can quickly turn into a test of whether your business has its data act together. By Douglas McLachlan, Partner and Head of Data & Technology, Anderson Strathern Generative AI has made it easier than ever to create a data subject access request (DSAR) – and harder than ever for businesses, especially SMEs, to handle. What used to be a simple email asking for a few files can now arrive as a wide-ranging request that’s quick to send, difficult to narrow and a logistical nightmare to answer. What was once a niche compliance issue is fast…
Businesses planning summer socials, client events and awards nights could be overlooking significant hidden risks, according to insurance experts Everywhen, who are warning that hosting an event involves more than booking a space in a venue that has insurance. It extends to attendees, activities, equipment and how the event is run. While venues often appear to take responsibility, when problems occur, the liability can frequently lie with the organiser. A spokesperson for Everywhen said: “It’s crucial to understand where a venue’s responsibility ends and the organiser’s begins. If something goes wrong, the hirer may still be liable, even if the venue…
Most people start a business for freedom. More control. More income. More flexibility. The chance to build something of their own. And yet, many business owners quietly end up trapped by the very thing they created. Every important decision routes through them. Problems escalate upwards. Holidays feel stressful. Growth creates complexity instead of freedom. From the outside, the business can look successful. Revenue grows. The team expands. Customers keep coming. But beneath the surface, many SMEs are being held together by effort rather than structure. That matters, because effort does not scale. Engineering does. The Owner Bottleneck Spend time inside most small businesses and…
Macmillan Cancer Support has launched Macmillan Ventures, a new investment fund being fuelled by donations from visionary philanthropists and organisations who want to help transform care for people living with cancer in the UK. For Macmillan, their latest venture in delivering better cancer care is not just about the money, but all about creating the right conditions for new ideas and solutions to thrive. With someone in the UK being diagnosed with cancer every 75 seconds, and with 5.4 million people expected to be living with cancer in the UK by 2045 – a 58% rise on where we are…
Fulfilment and delivery specialist Diamond Logistics is warning e-commerce brands that the real winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup retail boom will not necessarily be those with the biggest marketing budgets — but those with the operational capacity to fulfil demand at scale. With UK fulfilment networks forecasting a 15–25% uplift in parcel volumes in the four weeks leading up to kick-off on 11 June, and some sites expecting spikes of more than 30%, the company says many SMEs risk missing out simply because their operations cannot cope. According to industry forecasts, UK consumers are expected to spend up…
Businesses across the UK have just a few weeks left to put a data protection complaints process in place, before new legal requirements come into force on 19 June 2026. From that date, all organisations will be legally required to handle data protection complaints under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. With just weeks remaining, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is urging businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to read its guidance now and take the straightforward steps needed to comply. The new law means organisations must: give people a clear way to raise a data protection complaint; acknowledge it within…
Lloyds, part of Lloyds Banking Group – the UK’s largest digital bank, together with BankiFi has launched a free Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax tool for small businesses in the UK. Embedded into the Lloyds Business Account, the tool is available exclusively to Lloyds Business customers at no cost and with no subscription fee. BankiFi’s technology platform has been integrated directly into Lloyds’ Business Account and allows small businesses to quickly and easily comply with new MTD for Income Tax requirements which came into force on 6th April 2026. These regulations require sole traders and landlords to keep digital…
GAIN, the independent full service marketing agency at the intersection of creativity, data and technology, has launched an exciting new AI tool, bringing deep insight in online conversion to marketing teams of any size. Named after the flower, Lupine harnesses both human expertise and data from over ten thousand tests to optimise digital experience conversion rates. Using just a URL, it can surface test-ready ideas in minutes, identify weak spots and offer solutions that can easily be sent to decision makers, significantly speeding up the process of making sure that websites are running at their best. Lupine is built for…
You’re building a website, putting together a document, or mocking up a design – and without a second thought, you reach for a familiar font. Arial. Tahoma. Times New Roman. Easy. Barely anyone gives it a second thought. But according to new research from digital design studio Kraam, those everyday choices could be quietly working against you. Their latest insight reveals the most disliked fonts from a professional design perspective – not because they’re obscure or gimmicky – but because they’re too familiar, often used without considering how they impact readability, perception, and user experience. The Most Hated Fonts People Still…