Digital transformation and AI: from ambition to execution

Technology is reshaping how UK businesses drive performance, resilience and growth.

According to our C-suite barometer 2026 research, 51% of UK C‑suite leaders identify transforming company IT and technology as a top strategic priority. Some 85% of UK organisations now have a dedicated technology transformation strategy, underlining the central role in business growth now played by digital transformation.

UK leaders’ ambitions span efficiency, resilience, productivity, security and performance, with strong levels of investment reflecting confidence in technology’s ability to deliver value.

However, the nature of transformation itself is changing. At the centre of this shift is artificial intelligence, now the top external trend impacting UK businesses (48%), and a leading driver of investment within technology strategies. Simultaneously AI is evolving into more advanced capabilities too, with agentic systems that can go beyond responding to prompts and answering simple questions generating insights to plan, act and coordinate tasks across multiple systems. This shift brings significant opportunities for productivity and innovation, but also introduces new questions around control, oversight and accountability.

• 98of UK organisations say AI is already impacting their business.
• 60rank AI as a top investment priority within their technology transformation strategy.
• 71say AI is having a major impact on their organisation.

From ambition to execution: the real challenge

Organisations are prioritising technology investment, particularly in AI, with 60% identifying it as a key investment focus within their transformation strategies. 58% of UK executives also expect the highest ROI to come from AI.
Ambition remains strong but turning that ambition into consistent, real world outcomes will depend on how effectively organisations can execute, adapt and operate in a more dynamic and interconnected environment.

It’s no longer a case of standalone upgrades or system replacements. Increasingly, digital capabilities are converging into complex, interdependent systems – ones that behave in unexpected ways, and that cut across traditional organisational boundaries.

This is why, despite strong intentions and greater budgets, many efforts involving digital transformation technologies still fall short in practice. The challenge isn’t just setting direction – its ensuring execution delivers under real-world complexity.

What successful organisations do differently

Building the foundations for AI success

Across the UK and globally, the organisations seeing the most impact share common characteristics:

• Strong data architecture and accessibility
• Clear use cases tied to business outcomes
• Investment in skills and change management
• Robust governance and responsible AI frameworks

Our insights highlight three critical pillars for long-term success: technology, people and governance

Prepare for what’s next 

To help businesses close the gap between strategy and delivery, we have curated a set of insights exploring several areas central to effective transformation. 

C-suite barometer expert insights