- A UK business is adopting AI once every 60 seconds, AWS research claims
- Startups are twice as likely to have a strategy than large enterprises
- A lack of skills is slowing down businesses, with recruitment taking an average of 5.5 months
AI adoption in the UK has grown by 33% in the past year, with 52% of UK businesses on board with the tech compared with 39% last year, a new report has claimed.
Adoption as accelerated to the point that one business is adopting new AI tools and strategies every 60 seconds, research from AWS says.
Benefit realization is also becoming more apparent, with 92% of AI-adopting businesses now reporting an increase in revenue, compared with 64% in 2024, however Amazon’s report reveals a discrepancy between different business types and the need for further work.
UK businesses are adopting AI every 60 seconds
Although large enterprises and startups have similar adoption rates of 55% and 59% respectively, startups seem to be more prepared for shifts in technology, with more than double (31%) having comprehensive AI strategies compared with their large enterprise counterparts (15%).
Besides needing to identify a clear path, businesses are also struggling with the ongoing skill shortage, with nearly two in five (38%) citing a lack of skills as a key barrier, up from 29% last year.
Nearly half (46%) say this is now slowing down their business, with the average company spending five and a half months to hire talent with the required digital skills. AI literacy is expected to be a highly desired skill across 47% of new jobs within the next three years, highlighting a key area that prospective employees should focus on to help themselves stand out against their peers.
In line with Britain’s effort to become an AI leader, AWS has announced a UK initiative to train 100,000 people in AI skills by the end of the decade, confirming collaborations with universities such as Exeter and Manchester.
This, Amazon said, will help the UK unlock £45 billion per year in unrealized savings and productivity benefits across the public sector alone – a hefty sum prediction that comes from the Government’s own figures.
“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,” AWS Director of Enterprise Strategy Phil Le-Brun explained.
