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AI In UK Businesses 2026: How Many Use AI And What For

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AI in UK businesses 2026: 35% of businesses with 10 or more staff used AI in June 2026

Key findings: Around 35% of UK businesses with 10 or more employees used at least one AI technology in June 2026, up from around 12% in late 2023. Use ranges from 58% of information and communication businesses to 13% in construction. 28% of the smallest businesses (0 to 9 employees) use AI, compared with 49% of businesses with 250 or more employees.

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Artificial intelligence in UK businesses: 2023 to 2026, released 20 July 2026, using the Business Insights and Conditions Survey (wave 159, 5 to 28 June 2026). Covers UK businesses. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary by Business Mate.

How Many UK Businesses Use AI?

The ONS asks businesses whether they use at least one artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Among businesses with 10 or more employees, the share has risen from around 12% in September 2023 to around 35% in June 2026, almost three times higher.

Business sizeShare using at least one AI technology (June 2026)
0 to 9 employees28%
250 or more employees49%

Which Sectors Use AI The Most?

AI use varies widely by industry. 58% of information and communication businesses reported using AI, compared with 13% in construction.

What Are Businesses Using AI For?

  • Improving business operations is the most common use, reported by close to 60% of businesses that use AI.
  • Providing or personalising products or services is the second most common use, and is more common among smaller businesses: around 31% of businesses with 0 to 9 employees reported it.
  • Large language models (tools such as AI chat assistants) were the most widely used AI technology, used by 18% of businesses with 10 or more employees.

Adoption is still shallow. Businesses using AI use around 1.6 AI technologies on average, up only slightly from 1.4 in late 2023.

What Holds Businesses Back?

41% of businesses with 10 or more employees reported no barriers to adopting AI. Among those that did, a lack of expertise and cost were the most common. Around 18% of businesses with 100 to 249 employees said a lack of expertise had delayed adoption, and cost affected around 7% to 14% of businesses depending on size.

What This Means For Marketing

For marketing teams, the ONS notes that over half of businesses using visual content AI report effects on creative or design roles. AI is already changing how marketing content is produced, but most businesses are using it to support existing work rather than replace it.

  • Use AI for drafts, not final words. Check facts and tone before anything is published.
  • Keep a human in charge of your brand. Generic content rarely sounds like your business.
  • Be found by AI tools too. Clear, factual, well-sourced pages are easier for AI search tools to quote.

Our View

This section is Business Mate’s opinion based on the official figures above. It is not a forecast of results, and it is not business or financial advice.

If the trend since 2023 continues, we expect AI use among UK businesses to keep rising, with the biggest gains among smaller businesses using AI to create and personalise marketing content. We will check this against the next ONS figures.

Use These Statistics

You are welcome to quote this summary with credit to the ONS and a link to this page. Suggested citation: Business Mate (2026), AI In UK Businesses 2026, summarising ONS data. See also our UK Small Business Marketing Index 2026.

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FAQs

How many UK businesses use AI?

Around 35% of UK businesses with 10 or more employees reported using at least one AI technology in June 2026, up from around 12% in late 2023, according to the ONS Business Insights and Conditions Survey.

Do small businesses use AI?

Yes. 28% of UK businesses with 0 to 9 employees reported using at least one AI technology in June 2026, compared with 49% of businesses with 250 or more employees.

Which industries use AI the most in the UK?

Information and communication is among the highest, with 58% of businesses reporting AI use, compared with 13% in construction, according to the ONS.

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