The Export Support Chatbot: Empowering Small Businesses To Go Global
It serves as a "trusted companion" by delivering instant, reliable answers to export-related questions.
As they report here the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has launched the Export Support Chatbot, an AI-powered tool aimed at helping small businesses overcome barriers to exporting and expand globally.
This initiative represents a significant step in modernizing government support for exporters through accessible digital technology.
Small businesses are a cornerstone of the UK economy, fueling innovation, creating jobs, and strengthening communities.
However, many aspiring exporters face significant hurdles: overwhelming amounts of information scattered across sources, limited time to research, uncertainty about regulations and risks, and restricted access to expert advice. These challenges often discourage companies from pursuing international markets.
Conversational AI
The Export Support Chatbot addresses these pain points directly. It serves as a “trusted companion” by delivering instant, reliable answers to export-related questions. Importantly, all responses are sourced exclusively from verified government and partner materials, with clear citations provided for transparency and trustworthiness. This ensures users receive authoritative guidance without the frustration of sifting through multiple websites or unofficial sources.
Developed by DBT’s digital team, the chatbot builds on user research and collaboration with subject matter experts to prioritize accuracy and usefulness. It starts with a focused scope on export topics to allow responsible, iterative improvement. For more complex or nuanced queries, it can escalate users to human export advisers.
Early feedback from testing highlights the tool’s speed, clarity, and ability to consolidate information, significantly reducing the time businesses spend searching for answers.
As of the announcement, the Export Support Chatbot is in its Private-Beta phase. Access is invite-only and limited to a small, randomly selected group of business.gov.uk account holders. These participants have been trialing the tool over a two-month period, asking real export-focused questions to help refine interactions, response quality, and user expectations.
This launch follows DBT’s broader digital transformation efforts, including the introduction of the Digital Business Growth Service on business.gov.uk and earlier AI features (such as a public-facing tool for funding support). The department views the chatbot as an augmentation—not a replacement—of existing services, with careful safeguards to maintain trust and reliability in a government context.
Looking ahead, DBT plans to expand the tool’s coverage beyond exports to include areas like finance options, regulations, and connections to partner networks and services. Insights from the beta phase will inform ongoing iterations, with the ultimate goal of transforming how businesses access support for starting, running, growing, exporting, and investing.
The announcement aligns with celebrations of small businesses, including around Small Business Saturday (the first Saturday in December), underscoring a commitment to empowering them year-round.
By simplifying access to export knowledge, the Export Support Chatbot aims to boost confidence, reduce costly mistakes, and unlock global opportunities for UK companies of all sizes. As the tool evolves from beta to wider availability, it promises to make going global more approachable for the businesses that drive the nation’s economy.
