Most UK firms using AI have no policy for it, official survey finds
More than half of small and mid-sized businesses that handle digital data use AI, but written rules on how staff use AI tools and company data lag far behind
- Among businesses handling digital data, 73% would be uncomfortable with it being used to train external AI models; 18% would be comfortable
- Among AI-using businesses, 53% had at least heard of AI regulatory guidance
- Of those aware of the guidance, 19% found it clear and easy to understand
- Among AI policies that exist, 62% include guidance on AI access to company data and files
Write the policy before buying the next tool: who may use which AI services, with what data and who signs off. Check every supplier’s terms on whether the prompts and files sent to it can be used to train its models. The integrated assistants that can read shared drives and inboxes are where an unwritten policy costs most, so set access permissions before switching them on.
“We’re tackling the regulatory barriers that are holding back the safe adoption of AI.”Liz Kendall, secretary of state for science, innovation and technology
Two in five (41%) UK businesses that handle digital data now use AI, but only 17% of those users have any policy or guidelines covering it, according to the UK Business Data Survey 2026, published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on 18 June.
Ipsos interviewed 4,450 UK businesses for the survey between October 2025 and January 2026. Use rises with size: 51% of small and 58% of medium businesses use AI, against 82% of large ones. Formal written policies follow the same curve, held by 56% of large AI users but only 22% of medium, 17% of small and 8% of micro businesses.
Most use is still light. The commonest tasks are researching information (28%) and summarizing or drafting documents (21%). Only 21% of AI users say their tools are built into existing business systems, such as Copilot inside Microsoft 365 or AI in a customer relationship management (CRM) or finance platform; among small and medium firms the figure is 31%. DSIT’s own reading is that formal governance of AI use “is still emerging”.
Sources
- DSIT, “UK Business Data Survey 2026”, official statistics, 18 June 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-business-data-survey-2026/uk-business-data-survey-2026
- DSIT, “Liz Kendall’s speech at AI Adoption Summit”, speech, 8 June 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/liz-kendalls-speech-at-ai-adoption-summit
