New research from Workato reveals a striking gap between the UK businesses’ enthusiasm for AI and the reality of automation on-the-ground.
In a survey of UK IT decision-makers, just 14% say their organisations have achieved fully automated, AI-driven workflows across the business, while a majority (78%) report that AI is used only in a limited or experimental capacity, often isolated in certain teams or processes.
Key findings from Workato’s UK survey include:
Over half (57%) of UK enterprises are experimenting with AI in automation, but have yet to scale beyond pilot projects
Just 23% have made AI core to their automation orchestration strategy, with the majority experimenting or limiting AI use
42% describe their automation as “siloed” and not fully integrated across the business
Predictive analytics (32%) and real-time data integration (22%) are the most transformative AI capabilities, but remain far from universally adopted.
Barriers to AI adoption remain significant: governance (30%), privacy risks (24%) and security (10%) top the list.
Why it matters:
UK businesses are ahead of international counterparts in the US and Europe when it comes to AI adoption, with 93% of British CEOs saying their business has adopted AI in some capacity already and over half planning to increase investment in AI, generative AI, cloud, and data analytics in the coming year (PwC, 2024). However, despite strong AI ambition, the UK risks leaving millions on the table by focusing on small-scale and limited implementations and not missing out on enterprise orchestration opportunities. With the average British business now running 70+ apps on average, and 89% adopting multi-cloud environments, connecting systems and scaling automation are critical to success.
“UK enterprises are racing ahead in AI adoption, but our survey reveals that most enterprises are stuck in the slow lane when it comes to automating at scale and realising measurable and meaningful business impact,” said Mike Kiersey, VP Global Solution Consulting, Workato. “Digital transformation has left organisations in a mess of SaaS sprawl. But if British businesses can channel AI enthusiasm in the right direction of enterprise orchestration – removing complex workflows, automating critical data flows and connecting disparate systems – the full promise of AI can come to life, easing complexity and shaving millions off their bottom lines.”
