UK businesses move faster on AI deployment

AI adoption is reaching an inflection point as businesses begin to report more tangible returns from deployment, according to Dun & Bradstreet’s latest AI Momentum Index. UK companies are moving especially quickly, with 75% now scaling or operationalising AI compared with 56% globally, signalling a shift beyond experimentation into more established use.

Returns are also becoming clearer. In the UK, 44% of businesses report either broad ROI from multiple AI projects or strong ROI from scaled pilots, compared with 30% globally. Deployment infrastructure is more advanced as well, with 52% using either third-party AI platforms or modern cloud-native infrastructure to manage AI workloads at scale, versus 37% globally.

Data readiness remains the main obstacle to wider gains. While 50% of UK businesses say their enterprise data is mostly or fully ready to support AI at scale, ahead of 41% globally, half still lack the foundations needed to scale confidently. Edgar Randall, Head of Europe at Dun & Bradstreet, said the next phase will depend less on speed and more on trusted, connected and well-governed data.