A recent survey by OneAdvanced has revealed the UK sectors ahead of the curve when it comes to AI. The survey shows that while many are yet to embrace AI in their day-to-day operations, others are starting to leverage it to their advantage. But which sectors are at the forefront of AI adoption, and which are lagging behind?
When asked about levels of AI integration, the IT sector leads the pack, with 29% saying the technology is a fully integrated part of business operations. This compares to financial services (23%), and manufacturing (21%), with public sector bodies low on the list – just 9% in social housing and 5% in central and local government say AI is integral to their operations.
That is not to say the public sector is standing still when it comes to AI. In fact, in education, 21% of organisations are exploring the potential of AI operations across various business functions – the highest number of all sectors. This is closely followed by professional services (20%) and manufacturing (19%).
When asked if they are rapidly embedding AI tools in their business processes, responses across sectors were strikingly consistent, with an average of just 7% affirming the statement. However, one sector stands out as a clear exception – IT – in which 29% of respondents report actively and rapidly integrating AI tools.
The fact that the IT sector is leading the race when it comes to AI adoption will come as no surprise – technology after all, is at the heart of what they do. It is also unsurprising to learn that the majority (71%) of IT organisations have tried to implement an AI project over the past 12 months, a figure that places the sector ahead of manufacturing (40%), financial services (40%), retail and wholesale (35%) and law (34%).
When implementing an AI project, the IT sector reports a 0% failure rate – an impressive feat, even for a group that constantly navigates the complexities and advancements of emerging technologies. Numbers for other sectors are uniform in many cases: 16% in law, education, and social housing have tried and failed to implement an AI project in the past year.
Reasons given for the failure of an AI project are mainly focussed on skills and expertise: an average of 29% across all sectors say they underestimated the amount of data expertise and resources required for the project, while 46% say they did not sufficiently understand the business problem they thought they were addressing. This suggests the need for strategic planning at the outset, with experienced AI project managers on board to drive successful outcomes.
With AI dominating the conversation at every water cooler, we might expect the number of organisations implementing AI to be far higher. However, low rates of adoption are certainly understandable, given the ever-shifting capabilities of AI, and the increasing volume of AI-powered cyber-attacks. This level of caution is reflected in the data: 53% of businesses say they are still reviewing AI implementation plans before deployment.
For those organisations already using AI on a day-to-day basis, the technology appears to deliver a number of advantages. Nearly one third (30%) of all respondents say that AI improves online customer service, 26% say it helps the company spot financial irregularities and fraud, 25% cite the rapid retrieval of data, and close to a quarter (24%) believe AI leads to quicker responses and higher productivity.
While the advantages may be clear, organisations of all sizes will need to develop a robust AI strategy before embarking on AI-driven projects. Businesses must balance the need for increased automation and productivity against cost, risk, time, and expertise.
Discover more insights in the OneAdvanced Business Trends Report 24/25.
