New research by the British Standards Institution (BSI) has found UK business leaders are more cautious about AI than their counterparts in other countries, prompting experts to urge firms to embrace AI “as a tool for positive change” while taking a “balanced and strategic approach”.
The survey of 932 business leaders (at management level or above) across nine countries and eight sectors, conducted for the BSI’s Evolving together: Flourishing in the AI workforce report, revealed only 69 per cent of UK leaders felt that some manual roles would change because of AI: lower than the global average of 83 per cent.
Furthermore, 82 per cent of UK business leaders felt some knowledge-based roles would change as a result of AI, slightly lower than the global average of 89 per cent.
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When asked to what extent they were aware of their business using AI to support any aspect of performance management, only 19 per cent of UK leaders responded ‘to a significant extent’, and 33 per cent ‘to some extent’, compared to 37 per cent and 41 per cent respectively in the US, and 48 per cent and 41 per cent respectively in China.
Of the UK respondents, 69 per cent felt that some manual roles would change because of AI, with 58 per cent expecting some manual roles to be replaced. In the US, 90 per cent said they anticipated some manual roles to change as a result of AI, while 74 per cent expected role replacement. In China, the figures stood at 93 and 83 per cent respectively.
Additionally, only around half (55 per cent) of UK respondents were aware of their business involving employees in trialling or testing new AI tools in the business (compared with 77 per cent in the US and 92 per cent in China). Recent research by Opinium found that while almost three in 10 (29 per cent) UK professionals were actively using AI at work, a quarter (23 per cent) lacked confidence in doing so.
Asma Bashir, co-founder of Centuro Global, said the findings “come as no surprise to me. It’s something I encounter regularly.”
She highlighted ongoing concerns over data privacy, job displacement and the lack of clear regulatory frameworks for organisations to follow, adding that “responsible AI implementation must consider ethical use and its impact on the workforce”. But, she continued, “this wariness among UK businesses could hinder competitiveness, especially as global companies increasingly leverage AI to streamline operations, improve decision making and enhance customer and employee service”.
Earlier this month, Klarna announced plans to reduce its headcount through efficiencies ostensibly resulting from its investment in AI, with chief executive Sebastian Siemiatkowski saying the company would cut its workforce by almost half in the coming years, having already reduced it from 5,000 employees to 3,800.
Bashir said employers should begin trialling AI in low-risk areas of their operations, highlighting HR processes (for example, recruitment, onboarding automation) and data analytics as good places to start to build familiarity and trust with the technology.
“This ‘test and learn’ process can help UK firms gradually integrate AI while ensuring responsible use,” she said. “UK companies being overly cautious does protect against early missteps, but it also thwarts innovation and experimentation. By embracing AI more confidently, UK businesses can stay competitive globally without sacrificing ethical standards. Inaction, on the other hand, risks falling behind in a fast-growing landscape.”
Responding to the findings, Harriet Walker, director of member and advisory services at Business in the Community, said that “if employers holistically consider the impacts of AI across all elements of their business strategy and ensure a human-led approach to using it, they will be able to upskill their workforce, address the digital skills gap and carry out tasks more efficiently”.
“Human oversight is essential in mitigating the risks of AI use, helping to remove bias and ensure fair and accurate output. If AI is used right, it can enhance business performance and be used as a tool for positive change,” she explained.
Hayfa Mohdzaini, senior policy and practice adviser in technology and analytics at the CIPD, agreed. “UK employers should embrace AI to augment people’s capabilities, improve people’s working lives and create better-quality jobs. Investment in AI should benefit as many people as possible,” she told People Management.
However, she warned that “using AI primarily to displace people’s jobs without supporting people to upskill and reskill for other jobs in their organisation or elsewhere is a recipe for industrial disputes and disengagement”.
“Businesses should be clear about what problem they’re solving and whether AI is the right tool for the job. They shouldn’t jump on the AI bandwagon just because other businesses are doing it,” Mohdzaini said.
Anton Roe, chief executive of MHR, said business leaders “need to view the adoption of AI as a change management project that needs to be people first, not a technology rollout for the sake of it”.
“The successful implementation of any AI tool must take an ‘empathetic innovation’ approach,” he explained. “This means taking the time to understand the details of the job being done in each function of the business, empathising with employees’ experiences and finding ways to return time and value to them.
“For AI to reach its potential, adoption at every level of the business will be critical. A misstep in the way AI is deployed – ie, whether it chooses to bring employees along on the journey or not – could be the difference between an organisation achieving sustainable high performance and falling behind.”
Read the CIPD’s guide to preparing your organisation for artificial intelligence
