Laura Hyde |
An ‘AI divide’ is emerging within the UK economy and workforce according to a study commissioned by Microsoft, and led by Dr Chris Brauer at Goldsmiths, University of London.
The Agents of Change study collected data from surveys with 1,480 UK senior leaders across public and private sectors, as well as 1,440 UK employees, and discovered a lack of AI strategy, preparedness and impact in around half of UK organisations. Meanwhile 57 per cent of leaders reported their organisation lacks any formal AI strategy, with just 45 per cent of respondents saying their organisation understands the AI skills their workforce needs in order to be successful.
Half of UK leaders identified a gap between AI ambition and action within their organisations and 57 per cent reported a difference in the efficiency and productivity of workers who use AI versus those who do not. This is despite more than half of UK workers (52 per cent) reporting they feel they are having to do more work than is possible for one person, with 25 per cent of employees claiming to do the work of at least two members of staff.
According to the study, the substantial workload strains facing many employees and leaders highlight an urgent need for agentic AI technologies to be deployed across the private and public sectors. The study suggests agentic AI presents an opportunity to grow the UK’s economy, transform its public services and relieve pressure on stretched workers by proving a direct and positive link between AI strategy and agentic readiness with the financial performance of businesses and the productivity of public sector organisations.
Although agentic AI technologies are relatively new, 72 per cent of leaders expect AI agents to be fully integrated across their operations, with 21 per cent expecting rollouts within the next 12 months.
Darren Hardman of Microsoft UK presenting findings from the Agents of Change report to press at the Microsoft AI Tour in London, UK on 5 March 2025
“If the UK’s AI journey so far has been transformative, the coming wave of agentic AI – agents that can make decisions and take actions on our behalf – is set to be truly revolutionary,” said Darren Hardman, CEO of Microsoft UK. “However, as this report underlines, many UK organisations are not currently unlocking the prosperous future agentic AI promises. While the majority of leaders and employees acknowledge the benefits on offer, far fewer believe their organisation is in a position to seize them. These barriers can and must be overcome. At Microsoft, we’re helping to build an AI economy, investing in digital skills and tackling the AI divide, all pre-requisites to driving AI fuelled economic growth for the UK.”
To find out more, download the 'Agents of Change' report from the Microsoft website.