Slow-moving UK Organisations Risk Falling Behind the Rest of the World on AI
September 30 2019 - 6:01PM
Business Wire
- Organisations using AI are outperforming competitors by 11.5
per cent, according to research by Microsoft UK
- Yet, 76 per cent of UK organisations are unclear if they
have an AI strategy in place at all
- 74 per cent of business leaders doubt the UK has the
structures in place to be a world leader in AI
- And 96 per cent of employees say they have never been
consulted by their boss about the introduction of AI, despite 56
per cent of organisations using AI today
UK organisations risk falling behind global
competitors unless they act now to accelerate their use of AI
technology, according to a new report unveiled today by Microsoft
UK.
The report reveals that organisations currently using AI are now
outperforming those that are not by 11.5 per cent – a boost that,
in the face of unprecedented economic and political uncertainty, UK
businesses can ill-afford to pass up.
Despite this opportunity, the report, conducted in partnership
with Goldsmiths, University of London, finds that less than a
quarter of UK organisations (24 per cent) have an AI strategy in
place. Three-quarters (74 per cent) of the nation’s business
leaders doubt the country has the socio-economic structures in
place to lead in AI on the global stage. This puts in doubt the
UK’s ability to compete with countries such as the United States
and China implementing AI at pace, on a greater scale.
“The results are clear. UK businesses and public sector
organisations that forgo or delay implementing AI solutions risk
missing the boat on driving down costs, increasing their
competitive advantage and empowering their workers,” said Cindy
Rose, CEO, Microsoft UK. “Given this moment, where both UK
leadership and competitiveness on the global stage is more vital
than ever, there is no doubt that fully embracing AI-led digital
transformation is a critical success factor for UK businesses,
government and society.”
The study, conducted by YouGov, focused on more than 1,000
business leaders and 4,000 employees, and includes interviews with
leading industry experts from organisations including M&S,
NatWest, Renault F1 Team, Lloyds Banking Group and the NHS.
The leadership gap
In addition to the doubt that the UK is in a place to capitalise
on the opportunities that AI presents, there is also a lack of
understanding among UK business leaders about how to scale their
use of AI effectively and ethically. While more than a third (38
per cent) want their organisation to be seen as leaders in AI
innovation, just 34 per cent say they know how to evaluate the
business benefits of their AI investments. Similarly, only 21 per
cent of UK leaders have completed AI training, while more than half
(57 per cent) admit they don’t know how to intervene when AI takes
the wrong course of action.
As well as stifling their own growth, this gap between intention
and knowledge among leadership is making it increasingly difficult
for UK organisations to gain a competitive edge over more
AI-advanced rivals abroad.
Lord Clement-Jones, Chairman of the House of Lords Select
Committee on AI, says: “There is absolutely no excuse for anybody
in business, at whatever age, for not reinventing themselves in
terms of really understanding how AI works.”
The need for cultural change
The report also uncovers a pressing need to focus on the
cultural transformation required to fully harness AI’s potential.
Despite more than half of UK organisations (56 per cent) using the
technology, 96 per cent of employees say they have never been
consulted by their boss about its introduction. Meanwhile, 83 per
cent of leaders claim not to have been asked by staff about AI.
The absence of transparency and open communication – along with
the fact that only 11 per cent of employees have completed training
on how to use AI in their job – is fuelling fears about job
security among workers while, at the same time, preventing them
from understanding exactly how AI can help augment their roles.
The need for cultural change is further underlined by the direct
correlation identified in the research between an organisation’s AI
maturity and its ability to foster a collaborative, communicative
and supportive environment required for staff to use the technology
effectively and responsibly. According to the report, more
AI-mature organisations show stronger democratic practices,
including a greater commitment to diversity, ethics and skills
development.
Clare Barclay, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft UK says:
“Transformative change driven by AI is as much about culture as it
is technology – yet it seems that culture isn’t getting the airtime
it deserves. An environment where employees feel they have the
opportunity to get involved and develop new skills, will unleash
innovation and your employees’ potential to become the best
competitive asset you have.”
To download the full report, visit:
https://aka.ms/AcceleratingAI
ENDS
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital
transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an
intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every
organization on the planet to achieve more.
Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives
from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Centre at
http://news.microsoft.com. Web links, telephone numbers and titles
were correct at time of publication but may have changed. For
additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact
Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts
listed at
http://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts
All figures and calculations, unless otherwise stated, are from
YouGov Plc, Goldsmiths, University of London and Thread.
Please note:
- 74 per cent of business leaders doubt the UK has the structures
in place to be a world leader in AI – includes responses: ‘strongly
disagree’, ‘disagree’, ‘neither agree nor disagree’ and ‘don’t
know’
- 76 per cent of UK organisations are unclear if they have an AI
strategy in place at all – includes responses: ‘strongly disagree’,
‘disagree’, ‘neither agree nor disagree’ and ‘don’t know’
YouGov sample: Total sample size was 1,010 UK organisation
leaders and 4,002 employees (conducted online between the 15th and
23rd July 2019) based in large enterprises (500+ employees).
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190930005618/en/
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