Lack of AI focus putting UK firms at a competitive disadvantage
Despite the UK wasting approximately 9.5mn tonnes of food every year, the food and farming sector has placed 3rd out of 7 sectors for its AI-maturity, new data from government partner BSI reveals. Beating retail, built environment, healthcare and mobility.
The study reveals that Chinese and Indian businesses are set to leave their UK counterparts behind when it comes to realising the benefits of AI.
The International AI Maturity Model shows that firms from the two emerging and developing economies have a greater level of readiness to smoothly integrate AI into their operations, prepare employees for resulting changes to work, and leverage it as a force for good, while the UK, Japan and the Netherlands have greater progress to make in areas including investment, training, and supplier engagement.
BSI’s model assesses and weights a suite of measures including organisational confidence and readiness for AI adoption amongst businesses globally, to come up with a single score.
It identifies India as the most AI mature market, scoring 4.58 to China’s 4.25. Based on insights from 932 business leaders across nine countries and seven sectors, metrics include attitude and actions including around investment, training, internal and external communications and safety.
Published as part of BSI’s Trust in AI report, the analysis identifies the UK and Japan to be less mature relative to others, potentially influenced by factors including policy direction or media narratives focused on risk rather than opportunity. On all measures, China and India led the way, with the US in third place, followed by Australia.
In China, 73% of business leaders said they were increasing investment compared to just 39% of UK business leaders. Only 38% of UK business leaders said that their business had an AI strategy or that they had conducted an AI risk assessment – only Japan scored lower (21%), though the Netherlands score was similar (28%).
65% of UK business leaders said that they thought that their business encouraged the use of AI, versus 96% of Chinese business leaders and 94% of Indian business leaders. Similarly, 72% of UK business leaders said that they were confident in their business’s ability to harness the benefits of AI, the second-lowest result of all nationalities surveyed (putting it ahead of Japan, at 50%). 96% of Chinese business leaders and 94% of Indian business leaders were confident in their business’s ability to harness the benefits of AI.
There does seem to be a link between confidence and investment in AI and the firm belief in the need for up to date regulation and guidance. 98% of Chinese business leaders and 95% of Indian business leaders said that it was important for their business to keep up to date with regulation and guidance around AI use and management, against 83% of UK business leaders.
The research identified gaps between perceptions of what successful AI adoption entails and concrete steps being taken.
Susan Taylor Martin, CEO, BSI, said: “Some countries and some sectors are pulling ahead while for others there is a journey still to go on to build trust and confidence. Investment in standards, training and assurance is key as AI becomes integral to the future of life and work.”
