UK businesses employ AI once every 60 seconds. AWS Research research research Startups could have a strategy twice as much as a shortage of large companies slows down the business.
AI adoption in the UK has increased by 33% over the past year, with 52% of UK companies taking part in the technology compared to 39% last year.
AWS research shows that adoption has accelerated to the point that a business adopts new AI tools and strategies every 60 seconds.
Profit realization is also becoming clear, with 92% of AI recruiting businesses reporting revenue growth compared to 64% in 2024, while Amazon’s report reveals a contradiction between different business types and the need for further work.
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UK companies employ AI every 60 seconds
Large companies and startups have similar adoption rates of 55% and 59% respectively, but startups appear to be prepared for technology change, with more than doubled AI strategies having a comprehensive AI strategy compared to large companies’ counterparts (15%).
In addition to the need to identify clear paths, companies struggle with ongoing skills shortages, with two in five (38%) citing a lack of skills as an important barrier from 29% last year.
Almost half (46%) say this slows down business, and the average company spends five and a half months hiring talent with the digital skills they need. AI literacy is expected to become a highly desirable skill for 47% of new hires within the next three years, highlighting key areas that future employees should focus on to make their peers stand out.
In line with the UK’s efforts to become a leader in AI, AWS announced a UK initiative to train 100,000 people with AI skills by the end of the decade, confirming collaborations with universities such as Exeter and Manchester.
This, according to Amazon, will help the UK unlock £45 billion a year with unrealized savings and productivity benefits in the public sector alone.
“If we don’t address key barriers to adoption in the UK (particularly digital skills), we will endanger the emergence of a two-tier AI economy,” explained Phil Le-Brun, director of AWS Enterprise Strategy.
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