Some 78% of UK businesses claim to be using AI in some capacity. This rises to 85% for mid-sized organisations (100-249 employees), the highest of any group. A further 14% are exploring their options or plan to implement AI in 2026, with 8% not using AI and having no plans to, according to research from Studio Graphene.
However, the research revealed that less than a third (31%) of the businesses using AI have seen a positive ROI from their investment in the technology. Almost a fifth (18%) said their AI projects have not delivered the benefits they expected, while 16% said it was too early to tell.
Strikingly, less than half (41%) of AI users have a clear idea of what ‘success’ looks like when implementing AI solutions.
Among mid-size businesses, the leading AI adopters, there remains a minority (46%) that say they can define success.
Ritam Gandhi, director and founder of Studio Graphene, said: “Many organisations are at a critical point in their AI journey. Adoption has skyrocketed in the past year, particularly among mid-sized businesses, but our research clearly shows just how much progress is required for AI projects to be successful.
“There has been a rush to adopt AI amidst huge hype and a proliferation of new tools – this is certainly true of private equity-backed mid-sized companies looking to AI for automation, scalability and competitive edge.
The problem, however, comes when AI is deployed without first defining where it sits within workflow, the decisions it’ll inform, the processes it’ll support, and the criteria for measuring success – often teams haven’t agreed whether AI is meant to save time, improve decision quality, reduce risk, support growth or all of the above.
“It’s a really important issue that threatens progress. Without defining these things, building a long-term business case for AI and realising its value will be difficult. At board level, frustration will grow without a clear picture of how and why AI is being used, and to what effect. It underlines the need for rigorous planning for any AI transformation project, not just in selecting the right tools, but in defining the broader strategy, implementation and criteria for success.”
“78% of UK businesses now using AI – less than a third see financial benefits” was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand.
The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.