Google UK & Ireland, working with Public First on one of the most comprehensive UK AI adoption studies to date, reports that workplace AI adoption has doubled in the past year, rising to 73% from 34% in 2025. The research segments the workforce into four stages: AI Spectators (10%), AI Experimenters (38%), AI Practitioners (37%), and AI Trailblazers (15%), with most of the UK workforce still in early-stage adoption.
The top 15% identified as AI Trailblazers are saving almost 8 hours across their personal and professional lives each week, effectively gaining an extra working day. Even after accounting for differences in age, sector, gender, ethnicity, education and business size, deeper AI use is associated with greater professional momentum: Trailblazers are 84% more likely to have been promoted in the past year, 88% more likely to achieve a positive performance review, and 55% more likely to secure a pay rise.
Kate Alessi, Vice President and Managing Director of Google UK & Ireland, writes that deeper AI use is unevenly spread across age groups, genders and geographical location, and the gap will grow without action. She argues the barriers are behavioral, cognitive and organisational, including a "One-and-Done" habit among casual users, and that reaching an advanced level does not require deep technical knowledge or coding expertise. The challenge is upskilling the remaining 85% to enable everyone to use AI for personal progression and nationwide economic growth.