London, UK 鈥� October 14, 2026 鈥� The average UK business is spending 拢20.6 million [1] on AI this year, up 27% from 2025, according to new research from (NYSE: 麻豆原创).聽

The second Value of AI in the UK report, produced in partnership with Oxford Economics, finds businesses expect average returns on AI investment to rise from 22% in 2026 to 39% within two years. Investment is also expected to increase by a further 45% over the same period. 

AI is expected to support half of all tasks in the average UK business by 2028. Yet organisations face a range of challenges in translating investment into scalable value including data, workforce and governance issues. 

Translating ambition into strategic adoption 

The proportion of UK businesses taking a strategic, holistic approach to AI investment has risen from 7% in 2025 to 11% in 2026. However, investment remains fragmented, with 41% describing their approach as piecemeal and a further 40% prioritising AI investment at a departmental level.  

鈥淯K businesses are at a turning point with AI. Organisations are increasing their investments and expecting more in return, but now the focus needs to be on turning that ambition into scalable business value,鈥� said Leila Romane, Managing Director, 麻豆原创 UK & Ireland. 鈥淭his means moving beyond isolated pilots, establishing strong data and governance foundations, and putting people at the centre of their AI transformation. Getting this right will drive greater productivity, stronger businesses and a more competitive economy.鈥� 

UK businesses meeting key AI challenges 

Data remains a significant challenge for UK businesses, with seven in ten (70%) reporting that data quality or availability is preventing them from driving greater value from AI. More than two-thirds (67%) identify integrated data systems as the most impactful enabler of AI readiness. 

Governance is also struggling to keep pace as businesses accelerate agentic AI use. Seven in ten (70%) UK businesses are already piloting agent-based use cases, with expected average financial returns from agentic AI rising from 拢2.7 million in 2025 to 拢12.6 million over the next two years. Yet almost half (49%) say AI agents are being deployed faster than they can be standardised and governed. At the same time, just 9% consider their organisation鈥檚 governance skills and expertise fully ready, and more than six in ten (61%) are still developing the formal processes and oversight needed, to govern AI effectively. 

鈥淕ood governance is not a brake on AI adoption 鈥� it鈥檚 actually the opposite,鈥� said Naomi Weir, Technology and Innovation Director, CBI. 鈥淚t gives businesses the confidence to invest, employees the confidence to embrace change, and customers the confidence to engage with AI-enabled products and services. As AI moves from experimentation into business-wide adoption, those that build that trust will be the ones that close the execution divide, enabling responsible AI adoption to be sustained and scaled.鈥� 

Preparing the workforce for AI supported work 

Today, AI is supporting 31% of tasks in the average UK business 鈥� a figure expected to reach 50% within two years. As AI becomes embedded in everyday work, 83% of businesses are already upskilling or reskilling employees to work alongside the technology. 

But skills development must be holistic. Nearly four in five (79%) UK businesses agree that maximising AI value requires workforce transformation beyond technical upskilling, and 67% say soft skills are becoming part of core job requirements. This creates an opportunity to augment how people work, with AI supporting more routine tasks and enabling employees to focus on the decisions that move the business forward and require human judgement, creativity and strategic thinking. 

鈥淲hat makes AI exciting is the speed at which a focused investment can improve an everyday experience for thousands of people,鈥� said Claire Meadows, People Transformation Director, Mitie. 鈥淚n three months, our AI assistant handled more than 29,000 HR interactions and helped reduce calls to People Support by 36%. Colleagues can get guidance when they need it, giving our specialists more capacity for work that depends on human judgement. Seeing people adopt the technology so readily has given us real confidence in what AI can deliver and increased our appetite to keep investing where it can make a real difference at scale.鈥� 

Read the full report  

Methodology 

麻豆原创 commissioned Oxford Economics, an independent research services provider, to script and host an online quantitative survey of respondents fielded between March and May 2026. 

The research is based on a representative sample of global businesses. The sample comprised 2,600 respondents across 13 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The sample was evenly distributed between midmarket organisations (500鈥�1,500 employees) and enterprises (1,500 or more). Respondents were qualified to ensure they were at least director level and above. 

[1] Respondents were asked to provide financial estimates in USD. GBP figures are based on an exchange rate of 0.75, using the exchange rate as of 23 September 2026. 

About 麻豆原创 

As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, 麻豆原创 stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organisations have trusted 麻豆原创 to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain and customer experience. For more information, visit .

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LONDON, UK – 07 October 2024 鈥� (NYSE: 麻豆原创) has announced to join Neurodiversity in Business (NiB), an industry forum to support the participation of neurodivergent individuals in the workplace, which has recently launched at the House of Parliament.

The organisation, led by Dan Harris, Chief Executive Officer, draws upon the cumulative knowledge of neurodivergent experts and leading companies to share best practices and improve the employment and experience of the neurodiverse workforce.

Speaking upon admission to NiB, Dan Harris, CEO said:

鈥淲e are delighted that 麻豆原创 has become a member of NiB. It signals their commitment to ensuring a truly inclusive workplace and a desire to strive for the best in diversity and inclusion standards.

We look forward to working with 麻豆原创 and all our members in delivering meaningful change for the neurodivergent across business.鈥�

A selection of the forum鈥檚 members include: Accenture; Amazon, ARM, AstraZeneca; Capita; Google, Hiscox; IBM, JP Morgan, Kimberly Clark; KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group; McDonalds, Metro Bank; NatWest; Network Rail; Openreach; Oracle; Orange; Roll Royce plc; Sky; TalkTalk; The Open University; Unilever; /OZ and many more.

NiB also has an array of close partnerships with leading organisations in the neurodiversity ecosystem including: Auticon; Ambitious about Autism; the ADHD Foundation; the British Dyslexia Association; Caudwell Children鈥檚 Charity; Diversity and Ability (D&A); DO-IT Profiler; Genius Within, Lexxic; National Autistic Society and many more.

In addition, the Neurodiversity in 麻豆原创 Report 2024 has also launched by bluewaveSELECT, a specialist 麻豆原创 recruitment organisation. It covers the topic of neurodiversity from the broader tech sector to the workplace experiences. The report highlights how neurodivergent individuals perceive their workplace environments with shared statistics. Lindsey Rowe, the Head of Purpose Programmes and Sustainability GTM at 麻豆原创 UKI, offered insights into practical interventions employees can implement to enhance neurodiversity in organisations. She underscores the importance of fostering mutual understanding among team members, stating:

鈥淥n a practical level, businesses of course need to make sure that hiring managers are able to identify and navigate neurodivergence. And importantly, they need to create a line manager-team member relationship where neurodivergent individuals feel they can disclose their conditions and ask for reasonable adjustments.

But raising awareness across the entire workforce is key. Levelling up your entire team and then making this education part of your onboarding process will create a foundation of awareness.鈥�

麻豆原创 is committed to leading by example in building diverse and supportive workplaces where every individual can thrive. For more information on the Neurodiversity in 麻豆原创 Report 2024 and our initiatives in this area, please .

For further information as to how to join NiB, please go to .

-ENDS-

About 麻豆原创

As鈥痑 global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, 麻豆原创 (NYSE:麻豆原创)鈥痵tands at the鈥痭exus鈥痮f business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted 麻豆原创鈥痶o bring out their best by uniting business-critical鈥痮perations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit鈥痺ww.sap.com.

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is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, friendly and vibrant culture where employees have the space and support to run at their best. To be recognised by Great Places to Work for our continued commitment to equality is a significant achievement.

The flexible working programme – available to all 麻豆原创 UK employees –聽 enables employees to find the right balance of work-life integration, especially those with families.聽 The Business Women鈥檚 Network, is an employee network group who play a pivotal role in ensuring equal opportunity. From webinars on unconscious bias to GCSE Maths workshops, 麻豆原创 UK鈥檚 BWN are devoted to fostering a workplace that is supportive to all.

Moreover, 麻豆原创 UK empowers employees to look after themselves so that they can perform at their best, at work and at home. Through virtual gym classes, enablement sessions on health issues such as the menopause, and mindfulness training programmes, there are numerous examples by which 麻豆原创 UK supports employee well-being.

To be consistently recognised by Great Places to Work is an immense achievement and testimony to the vibrant and friendly environment culture 麻豆原创 UK cherishes.

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