Australia’s small business owners now have a free national phone number to call when they get confused about AI. The service, known as the AI Information Line, went live this week under the federal AI Adopt program. It was unveiled in Melbourne on 22 July alongside the National AI Centre.
Small and medium enterprises can dial 1800 517 403 or visit smecai.au. The line is operated by SMEC AI, which is the Small to Medium Enterprise Centre of AI. It is designed to help businesses understand how to use artificial intelligence without spending money on consultants or software.
When a caller reaches the line, they describe their problem in plain language. An AI voice agent answers within seconds and works through a structured set of questions. It points the caller toward general AI options worth considering. After the call, the person receives a written summary by text. This is a plain-English recap of the discussion with suggested next steps.
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This summary is general information rather than professional advice. Callers can ask to book a time with a member of the SMEC AI team at any point in the process. The company says every call summary is logged and auditable. It also states that it receives no commissions from any provider.
The gap in adoption
Deloitte Access Economics research from November 2025 found that around two-thirds of Australian small and medium businesses now use AI in some form. Only about five per cent of those using it are doing so anywhere near its full potential. More than half of SME workforces have only basic or novice familiarity with the technology. Roughly a third of non-adopting businesses say they simply don’t know where to start.
The same modelling, commissioned by Amazon, estimated that around $44 billion could be added to the Australian economy each year if just one in ten lower-maturity SMEs advanced a single rung on the AI maturity ladder. The gap between awareness and action is where this service aims to intervene.
Most small businesses don’t stall on AI because they aren’t interested. They stall because they don’t know where to start, and they can’t afford to get it wrong. Andrew Lai, Managing Director of SMEC AI, said the service removes that first barrier.
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“We built this under the AI Adopt program so that trustworthy AI assistance isn’t a privilege of big companies with big budgets,” Lai said. “It’s a free, national front door to AI for every small business in the country.”
For SME owners wanting a low-stakes way to ask where they should even begin with AI, the line offers exactly that. There are no meetings, no proposals, and no sales pitch—just a phone call. The initiative is part of a broader push to make AI adoption safer for smaller operators. Lee Hickin, Executive Director of the National AI Centre, joined a fireside conversation at the Melbourne event to discuss the future of AI adoption.
“Australia’s opportunity in AI will be shaped by how confidently our small and medium businesses can adopt it, safely, and purposefully,” Hickin said. “That means meeting them where they are, with practical and responsible support.” Initiatives that are built to a high standard of safety and accountability help give the SME sector a clearer, more confident path to adopt AI, and that is good for the whole economy.