Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
null

Gallagher, the global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting firm, has unveiled the results of its third annual survey exploring the risks and opportunity associated with AI adoption.

The 2026 Adoption and Risk Survey: AI in Action is informed by views from 200 UK-based business leaders across different sectors to understand how AI ambition is translating into governance, oversight, and risk management.

Half of UK businesses have already implemented AI in some form, with 86% reporting a positive impact on business revenue

UK businesses are moving from pilot testing to implementation with 49% having already introduced AI within parts of their business, marking a considerable increase from 39% in 2024 and 20% in 2023. 12% noted that AI is fully operationalised.

AI is also being deployed across a wide range of business functions — 52% of UK businesses have implemented AI to support chatbots and personal assistants, while a similar proportion are using it to help research and analytics (49%) and customer service (48%). Additionally, just under half are using AI to support IT operations management and fraud detection (45% and 44%, respectively).

Results are already being felt, with almost nine in ten UK businesses (86%) reporting a positive impact of AI on business revenue. The majority also confirmed a positive impact on employee trust and engagement (84%) and employee productivity (83%).

Looking ahead, 93% of UK business leaders see AI as a positive opportunity

Business leaders in the UK are the most optimistic of all countries surveyed, with over nine in ten seeing AI as an opportunity. This has grown considerably from 83% in both 2024 and 2023. 83% of UK business leaders also believe that AI will increase revenue.

62% of UK businesses are actively measuring the return on investment for its use of AI, and a further 35% plan to. Business leaders predict it will take an average of 27 months for this to occur.

UK leaders aware of cyber, over‑reliance and privacy concerns, despite optimism

However, despite the high level of confidence in AI integration, UK business leaders also recognise the potential risks associated. Over half are concerned by the loss of commonsense through the use of AI tools, as well as the increased exposure to cyberattacks and fraud (56% and 55% respectively). Just 43% reported a concern around the impact on employee engagement, below the global average of 50%.

Most UK businesses have assessed AI security vulnerabilities but lack formal, structured governance measures

60% of UK business leaders have assessed and mitigated AI-related security vulnerabilities, including cybersecurity investments, while 57% have already communicated their organisation's AI strategy to the workforce. However, more structured governance measures, such as adopting risk management frameworks and conducting ethical assessments, remain less common.

Just 39% have developed incident response plans specific to AI incidents, and less than half (42%) have conducted ethical impact assessments to evaluate societal, legal or reputational risks.

Steve Rhee, Global Chief Digital Officer at Gallagher, said: "UK business leaders are overwhelmingly positive about the possible benefits of AI adoption, with over 90% seeing it as a positive opportunity for their company. Intentions are clear and businesses have moved quickly to communicate ambitions internally, with over half having already set out an AI strategy to their workforce.

"However, despite the confidence, many UK organisations remain in planning mode when it comes to AI governance, with formal AI policies, frameworks and incident plans still being measured. This poses significant risks — cyber, legal, societal, reputational and beyond — which leave many businesses vulnerable. The optimism and ambition of UK business leaders is notable, but it is crucial that they now translate this into robust governance, oversight and risk management frameworks that help protect them from the associated risks."

To access the full report, please click here.

For further press information, please contact:

Isabella White
07503 169 473

About Gallagher

Gallagher is the brand name of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG) — the global insurance broker, risk management services and consulting firm headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Gallagher offers client service capabilities in more than 130 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

For further information, please visit https://www.ajg.com/uk

About the survey

The 2026 Attitudes to AI Adoption and Risks survey was undertaken by Opinium in November and December 2025 amongst 1,250 business leaders in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, India, Japan, the Nordics (Sweden, Denmark, Finland), South Korea, and Republic of Ireland.