UK must accelerate trusted AI adoption to drive growth and raise living standards, says CBI

New CBI and Oliver Wyman report identifies an emerging AI ‘execution divide’ and calls for a national partnership to make AI work for Britain. 

The CBI and Oliver Wyman are calling for the government to make the next decade Britain's “Adoption Decade”, putting the widespread and trusted use of AI at the heart of its economic strategy and bringing business, workers and government together to turn Britain's AI strengths into higher productivity and living standards. 

In a major new report published today (18 August), the CBI and Oliver Wyman set out how the UK can secure a lasting competitive advantage in the age of AI by becoming the world’s leading human-centric, AI-enabled economy, unlocking stronger growth, better jobs and higher living standards across the country. 

The report, The Adoption Decade: Closing the Execution Divide and Making AI Work for Britain, finds that the UK's AI challenge is no longer one of strategy or invention, but delivery. While the UK has established itself as a global leader in AI research, talent and innovation, future success will depend on how effectively organisations adopt and scale AI. 

A growing "execution divide" is emerging between organisations successfully scaling AI and those still stuck in pilot mode. Oliver Wyman Forum and NYSE research finds that almost half (49%) of AI deployment leaders report meeting or exceeding their ROI expectations, compared with just 15% of deployment laggards. Helping more businesses adopt AI with confidence, alongside the development of the UK’s differentiated AI “stack” could unlock a major economic opportunity for the UK, boosting productivity, competitiveness and living standards across the country. 

To seize this opportunity, the CBI is calling on the government to make AI adoption a national economic priority and work with business on a shared ambition to make the UK the world's leading human-centric, AI-enabled economy. This should be backed by a national partnership between government, business, workers and civil society to accelerate adoption, build public confidence and ensure AI delivers better jobs, higher living standards and stronger growth in every part of the country. 

The UK's unique AI opportunity 

Four key findings stand out: 

• AI is a business transformation challenge: Organisations achieving the greatest returns combine strong leadership, workforce engagement, organisational readiness and effective implementation. 

• The UK is well placed to capture value: British strengths in deployment, specialist expertise, cyber resilience and data capabilities align closely with where much of AI's economic value will be created. There is an opportunity for the UK to build a differentiated AI “stack” that will benefit Britain and support broader UK business adoption as the market evolves.  

• Trust and governance enable scale: Responsible adoption helps organisations manage risks, build confidence and create the conditions for wider AI deployment. 

• Skills and confidence are critical: Workforce understanding, leadership capability and trust in how AI will be used are essential to successful adoption and long-term competitiveness. 

A national mission to make AI work for Britain  

Making AI work for Britain will require coordinated action across government, business, workers and civil society. To accelerate trusted and responsible adoption, the report sets out several recommendations including:  

• Put delivery at the heart of the Government's AI agenda: Establish a time limited Business AI Adoption Delivery Group, sponsored at ministerial level, to drive implementation, remove barriers to adoption and hold government and business to account for progress. 

• Make Britain the global benchmark for trusted AI adoption: Bring together industry, government and civil society to develop a voluntary Responsible AI Adoption Code and public pledge, setting shared principles for trusted and human-centred AI adoption. This would give businesses the confidence to adopt AI at scale, help manage risks and build public trust, while positioning the UK as a global leader in putting AI to work responsibly.  

• Make AI capability a national workforce priority: Invest in AI skills at every level, from workforce literacy and retraining to specialist technical and leadership capabilities. Embedding AI literacy across education and lifelong learning, alongside skills reforms and a National AI Literacy Standard, would give people the confidence and capabilities to embrace AI, help businesses adopt it effectively and ensure workers in every sector and every part of the UK can share in the benefits.  

• Introduce a "no wrong door" approach to regulatory navigation: Help businesses navigate regulation by ensuring their first point of contact can direct them to the right requirements, regulators and guidance. Supported by a practical regulatory map, this would reduce uncertainty and help firms adopt and scale AI with confidence. 

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Executive, said:  

“With world-class universities, pioneering businesses and a vibrant technology ecosystem, the UK has all the ingredients to be a global leader in AI. The opportunity is clear. Now is the time to turn our strengths into productivity, growth and prosperity across the economy.  

“The next chapter of AI won't just be defined by what we invent, but by how quickly we can put it to work at scale. 

“Britain now needs to treat AI adoption as a national economic priority. Government and business should set a shared ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to adopt AI responsibly, and then relentlessly focus on delivery. 

“That means moving beyond pilots and putting AI to work across our economy, giving businesses the confidence to invest and workers the skills and security to embrace change. If we get this right, the prize won't be measured in technology alone. It will be measured in better jobs, rising wages, stronger businesses and higher living standards in communities across the country.” 

 Lisa Quest, CEO, Marsh UK, and Head of UK & Ireland, Oliver Wyman, said: 

“The UK’s AI opportunity won’t be determined by the technology we create alone, but by whether organisations have the confidence to put AI at the heart of how they operate. Building that confidence means public and private investment in the infrastructure, governance, resilience, and workforce skills needed to scale AI securely and responsibly. If we get those foundations right, the UK won’t just accelerate AI adoption, it will strengthen its competitiveness, attract investment, and create more resilient growth for the long term.” 

AI Minister Kanishka Narayan, said: 

“To realise AI's full potential to drive the reindustrialisation of Britain, people and businesses across the country must be able to make the technology work for them. The CBI’s report is a welcome contribution to the discussion about how we achieve that. 

“We are committed to making the UK the leading adopter of AI in the G7. That is why we are working with industry to give 10 million workers AI skills by 2030 and investing more than £200 million to support workers and businesses in adopting the technology. That is how we create better jobs and drive good growth in every postcode.”