The ONS has asked businesses about AI every few months since September 2023, and DSIT ran its own large survey in 2025. Both are quoted below, with each source's own notes on how far the figures can be relied on.
This page quotes 8 findings from three official records by ONS and DSIT, published between January 2026 and October 2026. The most recent comes from ONS in October 2026 and covers types of ai. Every one of them carries the source's own note on how the figures were gathered, shown under the quote.
How many businesses use AI
30%
of UK businesses used at least one AI technology, September 2026 (ONS) · see the record
How many businesses use AI
12% → 35%
AI use among businesses with 10+ staff, late 2023 to mid-2026 (ONS) · see the record
How many businesses use AI
38%
of businesses with 10+ staff used AI, September 2026 (ONS) · see the record
Industries
60%
of information and communication businesses used AI, September 2026 (ONS) · see the record
Workers
55%
of employees used AI for work or education, May to June 2026 (ONS) · see the record
How often businesses use AI
80%
of AI-using businesses use it at least weekly (DSIT) · see the record
How many businesses use AI
The ONS reports that 3 in 10 (30%) UK businesses said they used at least one type of AI technology in September 2026, rising to 51% of businesses with 250 or more employees.
“3 in 10 (30%) businesses reported using at least one type of AI technology in September 2026, rising to 51% for businesses with 250 or more employees”
The source notes: The ONS labels these official statistics in development and advises caution.
The ONS reports that self-reported AI use among UK businesses with 10 or more employees rose from around 12% to around 35% between late 2023 and mid-2026.
“The self-reported use of artificial intelligence (AI) in UK businesses with 10 or more employees has increased from around 12% to around 35% since late 2023”
The ONS reports that 38% of businesses with 10 or more employees used AI technologies in September 2026, up 26 percentage points from September 2023.
“For businesses with 10 or more employees, 38% reported use of AI technologies, up 3 percentage points from June 2026 and 26 percentage points from September 2023.”
The source notes: The ONS labels these official statistics in development and advises caution.
The ONS reports that the AI technologies most used by businesses with 10 or more employees in September 2026 were text generation using large language models (21%) and visual content creation (19%).
“The most frequently used AI technologies by businesses with 10 or more employees were text generation using large language models (21%) and visual content creation (19%).”
The source notes: The ONS labels these official statistics in development and advises caution.
The ONS reports that over half of employees (55%) said they used AI for work or education in mid-2026, compared with around a third (35%) of businesses reporting use of at least one AI technology.
“Over half of employees (55%) report using AI for work or education, compared with around a third (35%) of businesses reporting use of at least one AI technology.”
The source notes: Employee figures come from the ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (Great Britain, May to June 2026) and business figures from the Business Insights and Conditions Survey (UK, June 2026).
The ONS reports that improving business operations is the most reported use of AI across all business size bands, with close to 60% of businesses reporting using AI for this purpose.
“Improving business operations is the most reported use of AI across all business size bands (Figure 5). Close to 60% of businesses report using AI for this purpose”
DSIT reports that 8 in 10 businesses using AI (80%) use it at least weekly, and 53% said they use it constantly.
“Over half of businesses currently using AI reported that they use AI constantly (53%). Just over a quarter (27%) said they use AI at least once a week, meaning 8 in 10 businesses (80%) are using AI at least weekly.”
The source notes: DSIT says these figures are self-reported by businesses and should be viewed as estimates.
The ONS reports that 3 in 10 (30%) UK businesses said they used at least one type of AI technology in September 2026, rising to 51% of businesses with 250 or more employees. The ONS labels these official statistics in development and advises caution. See the record.
Which industry uses AI most?
The ONS reports that around 6 in 10 (60%) businesses in the information and communication industry were using an AI technology in September 2026. The ONS labels these official statistics in development and advises caution. See the record.
How many workers use AI?
The ONS reports that over half of employees (55%) said they used AI for work or education in mid-2026, compared with around a third (35%) of businesses reporting use of at least one AI technology. Employee figures come from the ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (Great Britain, May to June 2026) and business figures from the Business Insights and Conditions Survey (UK, June 2026). See the record.
What we left out
We only publish results that an official source reports as having happened. We leave out forecasts, targets, estimates of what AI could or may do, announced investment that has not yet happened, and findings from bodies that are not on our official sources list. How we choose what to include.