- Study reveals gap between AI ambition and execution, with just 16% of UK firms fully deploying digital workers.
- More than half (54%) of UK organisations remain in research, exploration, or pilot stages when it comes to AI.
- Fears about job replacement drop for UK organisations who have fully deployed digital workers (23%), compared to those who haven’t started exploring AI who see it as their biggest concern (45%).
London, 13 May 2026 – Today, global AI-powered business communications leader RingCentral publishes new research finding that UK businesses are missing out on the full economic benefits of artificial intelligence, with the majority still stuck in experimentation rather than real-world deployment.
The report, “The New Economics of AI at Work: Why Britain Must Move from AI Pilots to AI Systems”, is based on responses from 2,000 IT, HR, and CX leaders across the UK and US and explores how UK businesses are using AI.
Findings highlight a growing disconnect between optimism and execution for UK PLC, adding to a persistent productivity problem. While 87% of UK organisations view AI positively, only 16% have fully deployed AI-powered digital workers, significantly lagging behind US businesses (41%). More than half (54%) of UK organisations remain in research, exploration, or pilot stages.
Proven value from AI deployment
Despite this, the research shows UK organisations are proving value where AI is fully deployed, with 60% reporting productivity gains and 57% faster workflows.
The data also shows that once digital workers are truly embedded in workplaces, they are seen as augmentation to human roles, not replacement. Less than a quarter of workers who have fully deployed digital workers (23%) see job replacement as their biggest concern, compared to those who haven’t started exploring AI (45%).
The UK market is at a critical turning point, where early value is evident, but many organisations are still working out how to embed AI into core business processes and realise sustained, enterprise-wide benefits. Leaders say the main barriers they are having to tackle when scaling AI include cost concerns (35%), integration complexity (35%) and trust and compliance risks (32%).
Russel Tilsed, VP at RingCentral says, “The next phase of AI is about embedding intelligence directly into the workflows where decisions are made. Despite strong investment and ambition, many UK organisations are failing to scale AI beyond isolated pilots, leaving benefits unrealised.
“For the UK, the core issue is not technology capability, but integration. AI tools often sit outside everyday workflows, limiting their ability to drive real operational change. As a result, insights generated by AI frequently fail to translate into action. If the UK wants to seize this moment to address persistent productivity challenges, 2026 must be the year AI stops being an experiment and becomes enterprise infrastructure.”
Conversations have become the new system of record
The report identifies a major shift underway: business conversations – across calls, meetings, and messages – are becoming the primary source of actionable data. Voice has emerged as a critical interface, with the preference for voice-based AI interactions to double within two years in the UK. By embedding AI into these interactions, organisations can move from delayed insights to real-time decision-making and execution.
This comes as RingCentral has recently announced a voice-first, omnichannel AI agent platform AIR Pro. Embedded directly within RingCentral’s business communications and contact center platform, AIR Pro is the fastest and easiest way for businesses to redefine customer experiences with automation that reduces manual effort and streamlines operations. AIR Pro is currently in a controlled availability phase, with broader rollout expected later this year. For more information, click here.
About RingCentral
RingCentral is a global leader in AI-powered trusted business communications, contact center, conversational intelligence, video and hybrid event solutions. RingCentral empowers businesses with conversation intelligence and unlocks rich customer and employee interactions to provide insights and improved business outcomes. With decades of expertise in reliable and secure cloud communications, RingCentral has earned the trust of hundreds of thousands of customers and millions of users worldwide. Visit ringcentral.com to learn more.
About the Research
The study was conducted by Opinium Research in Q4 2025, surveying 2,000 IT, HR, and CX leaders across the UK and US, spanning multiple industries and organisation sizes.