Workplace artificial intelligence adoption in the United Kingdom doubled over the past year to reach 73%, up from 34% in 2025, according to research published by Google and Public First.
Google reported that high-volume users, termed AI Trailblazers, make up 15% of the UK workforce and save nearly 8 hours each week across their personal and professional lives. Controlling for factors such as age, sector, gender, ethnicity, education, and business size, this top tier of users is 84% more likely to have received a promotion in the past year, 88% more likely to achieve a positive performance review, and 55% more likely to secure a pay rise.
The study categorized the rest of the British workforce into three other groups based on adoption levels. AI Spectators account for 10% of workers who have not yet experimented with AI tools. AI Experimenters represent 38% of beginners testing basic tasks, while AI Practitioners comprise 37% who use AI as a daily workplace tool.
Google identified key behavioral, cognitive, and organizational barriers preventing the remaining 85% of workers from reaching advanced usage. Only 37% of previous users have ever asked an AI tool to help them write a better prompt. On an organizational level, only one-third of AI users receive clear professional guidance on AI use, and fewer than half know who to ask regarding responsible deployment.
To address the gap, Public First launched an interactive diagnostic tool called the AI skills quiz. Google also announced its AI Works for Britain upskilling initiative, which builds on its Google Digital Garage program that trained over 1.2 million people over the past decade. The initiative forms part of a partnership with the UK government aimed at training 10 million workers in AI skills by 2030.
In 2025, Google's tools supported £140 billion in UK economic activity, including £60 billion generated by small and medium-sized businesses. Products including Search, Android, Cloud, and YouTube currently save British workers 51 million hours per week.
