Comms Business - UK businesses missing out on full economic benefits of AI
RingCentral has published new research finding that UK businesses are missing out on the full economic benefits of AI, 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 per cent of UK organisations view AI positively, only 16 per cent have fully deployed AI-powered digital workers, significantly lagging behind US businesses (41 per cent). More than half (54 per cent) of UK organisations remain in research, exploration or pilot stages.
Despite this, the research shows UK organisations are proving value where AI is fully deployed, with 60 per cent reporting productivity gains and 57 per cent faster workflows.
The data also shows that once digital workers are embedded in workplaces, they are seen as augmentation to human roles, not a replacement. Less than one quarter of workers who have fully deployed digital workers (23 per cent) see job replacement as their biggest concern, compared to those who haven’t started exploring AI (45% per cent).
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 per cent), integration complexity (35 per cent), and trust and compliance risks (32 per cent).
Russel Tilsed, VP at RingCentral, said, “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.”
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 centre platform, AIR Pro is a fast and easy 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.
