AI business adoption reaches inflection point

AI adoption is reaching an inflection point as businesses begin to see more tangible returns, according to the latest Dun & Bradstreet AI Momentum Index. In the UK, businesses are moving particularly quickly, with 75% now scaling or operationalising AI, compared with 56% globally.

The findings suggest AI is moving beyond experimentation and into more established deployment, with clearer signs of return on investment. However, data readiness remains the main barrier to scaling those gains.

That gap is reflected in both returns and infrastructure. In the UK, 44% of businesses report either broad ROI from multiple AI projects or strong ROI from scaled pilots, compared with 30% globally. Meanwhile, 52% are already using either third-party AI platforms or modern cloud-native infrastructure to deploy and manage AI workloads at scale, versus 37% globally.

But data remains the limiting factor. While 50% of UK businesses say their enterprise data is mostly or fully ready to support AI at scale, ahead of 41% globally, half still lack the data foundations needed to scale AI confidently.

Edgar Randall, Head of Europe at Dun & Bradstreet, said “The UK AI story is moving beyond hype. Businesses are starting to shift from pilots into production, and from experimentation into measurable returns. That is encouraging, but the next phase of AI adoption will depend less on who moves fastest and more on who has the trusted, connected and well-governed data needed to scale AI responsibly.”