We’re all using AI: so why can’t business maximise its potential?
For all the noise, AI is yet to be used companies beyond the automation of basic administrative tasks.
New ONS data finds that while around a third of UK firms now use AI, adoption remains shallow.
Just one in ten AI-adopting firms claim to use it ‘extensively’ in their operations. The ONS also identify a gap between individual and organisational use: 55% of employees report using AI for work, but only 35% of businesses use it.
The AI industry claims trust is the bottleneck, but other factors are likely at play. Daniel Meyer, CTO of Camunda, says, ‘Companies are failing to realize AI’s potential because they cannot trust it to operate where it matters most. As a result, AI stays at the edges, completing admin tasks while critical processes that drive growth remain untouched.’
The real barriers…
The ONS data shows AI is most used to improve existing operations, as opposed to entering new markets or developing new products, with firms continuing to lean towards efficiency.
Among companies claiming AI adoption, only 6% report a decrease in headcount, suggesting that adoption has not brought about significant changes in operational efficiency.
Companies were also asked what factors they found might prevent AI adoption. Most cited were difficulties identifying business use cases, cost, and lack of expertise, all pointing to a different barrier.
As an industry, we continue to reach for ‘trust’ as the answer because it’s emotionally legible. It’s more likely that companies aren’t giving enough and thought to how they should embed AI, instead of bolting it onto existing workflows.
The data is clear. Companies lack organisational readiness, and without identified use cases, internal expertise, and accountability and governance, extensive and effective AI adoption will remain a rarity.