AI Adoption in the UK: Putting AI into Action

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the face of the technological ecosystem and is unlocking unprecedented opportunities for innovation in the UK, as well as on the global stage.

The anticipated economic benefits over this decade are significant with estimates predicting that the UK’s GDP will be up to 10% higher in 2030 from the development and adoption of AI.

The good news is the UK is a global leader in AI and is ranked highly in ‘AI readiness’. The UK Government’s National AI Strategy recognises and emphasises the vital role that AI will play in the UK’s efforts to build economic resilience, productivity, growth and innovation across the public and private sector.The UK is also ranked third in the world as a destination for private AI investment; from 2013 to 2022, almost £10.8 billion has been invested by the private sector. It is now about how the UK fully realises the benefits of AI and unleashes the vast potential of AI to create opportunities for businesses and society as a whole.

While having a National AI Strategy is key for ensuring we have a clear vision and blueprint for the development of the AI industry in the UK, it is equally important that we have a plan for the increased adoption of AI. Given the immense opportunities and benefits that come from adoption, we must accelerate implementation and encourage more companies and organisations to put AI into action. However, the extent to which these benefits can be felt by organisations in the UK, as well as the wider public, would be hindered if barriers to AI adoption are left unresolved.

This paper aims to enable businesses and Government to put AI into action by showing how far the UK has come and what we need to do to make the country a global AI superpower. Through working alongside techUK’s AI Adoption Working Group, this report celebrates how AI has been implemented in a variety of use cases across the UK.

Using the first-hand experiences of AI leaders across industry, we shed light upon the key barriers that are impacting wider adoption, as well as recommendations for businesses and policymakers on how these can be mitigated.

techUK - Seizing the AI Opportunity

The UK is a global leader in AI innovation, development and adoption. The economic growth and productivity gain that AI can unlock is vast, but to fully harness this transformative opportunity, immediate action is required. techUK and our members are committed to working with the Government to turn the AI Opportunities Action Plan into reality. Our aim is to ensure the UK seizes the opportunities presented by AI technology and continues to be a world leader in AI development.

techUK runs a full calendar of activities including events, reports, and insights to demonstrate some of the most significant AI opportunities for the UK. Our AI Hub is where you will find details of all upcoming activity. We also send a monthly AI newsletter which you can subscribe to here.