New data from AWS has indicated that AI adoption in the UK has grown by 33 per cent in the last year.
The “Unlocking the UK’s AI Potential” report, conducted by consultancy Strand Partners, showed that AI adoption has grown by 33 per cent in the past year, outpacing the European average of 27 per cent.
More than half (52 per cent) of UK businesses are using AI – up from 39 per cent last year – with the vast majority (92 per cent) of businesses who have adopted AI reporting increased revenue. In 2023, 64 per cent of businesses reported increased revenue due to the adoption of AI.
Phil Le-Brun, director of enterprise strategy at AWS, explained, “The UK is experiencing an AI revolution that is outpacing historical technology trends. The report reveals that at least one business is adopting AI every minute. While this is encouraging to see, it masks a deeper challenge.
“If we don’t address the key barriers to adoption in the UK – most notably digital skills – we risk the emergence of a two-tier AI economy. This could result in a longtail of businesses missing out on the transformative benefits of AI, which could, in turn, prevent the UK from fully realising the economic, productivity, and competitive edge that AI can unlock.”
The report found businesses say the digital skills gap is the biggest barrier to AI adoption. 38 per cent of businesses reported that access to digital skills is preventing them from adopting AI, up from 29 per cent of businesses surveyed last year.
In addition, nearly half (46 per cent) of UK businesses said that a lack of digital skills has slowed down their business, compared with 32 per cent of UK businesses surveyed last year.
AWS has said it plans to invest £8 billion in the UK, supporting 14,000 jobs annually in local businesses. These findings were discussed at AWS Summit London, held today at the Excel.