In today's complex business landscape, AI is a top investment priority for organisations worldwide and across the UK. While many firms set bold transformation goals, a gap often exists between ambition and execution. Success depends on trusted, practical roadmaps. Our UK C-suite barometer 2026 insights outline what business leaders are prioritising to turn their strategy into a reality.
of C-suite executives say AI is having an impact on their organisation.
of UK leaders have included AI in their tech transformation strategy.
have restructured their teams in the last two years to implement AI.
of UK C-suite leaders say AI is a top investment priority.
Our mid-year C-suite barometer insights reveal that while AI remains a key priority, with 37% of organisations citing it as having the greatest impact on their business, its focus is being challenged by global instability.
At the same time, AI is entering its returns era. 63% of leaders report productivity gains and returns of up to 10% on AI investments, sharpening the definition of success. The focus is now shifting to measurable external outcomes such as productivity and customer experience, with less emphasis on internal adoption than earlier in the year.
The hardest question your board will ask about AI in 2026 is “What decisions and actions are we allowing agentic AI to take on our behalf and how do we know it’s under control?” That is a very different question to those we’ve been hearing from boards recently on AI and requires a different kind of governance.
Agentic AI has moved quickly from emerging concept to business priority, and the question for senior leaders is no longer just about return on investment, but how to capture its value without losing control and confidence.
Agentic AI offers organisations significant opportunities to improve speed, productivity and decision-making but it also introduces a greater governance challenge.
The fiscal environment of 2026 has brought AI hype to its peak, bringing with it far higher expectations for value-driven delivery. What was once difficult to quantify is now starting to take shape. As organisations have prioritised use cases and learned from early integration efforts, the first credible wave of ROI reports has now emerged, making it impossible for leaders to justify ongoing investment...
Digital transformation strategy at the frontier of growth.
We often hear that artificial intelligence is going to rewrite the rules of business. The jury may be out in some quarters as to how or when that future becomes reality. In the meantime, it’s clear that it’s already rewritten investment priorities.
Technology, media and telecommunications companies are prepared for change and committed to artificial intelligence (AI) investment. They are also among the first to confront the strategic question of how to strike the right balance between humans and AI in the workplace.
C-suite executives in the UK could be forgiven for going into 2026 in a downbeat mood. It is, after all, a turbulent world out there. We barely need to highlight the uncertainty caused by geopolitical see-sawing, spiralling costs from taxation, employment and supply chains, and the growing threats from cyber criminals – recreational, professional and state-sponsored.
Our AI solutions: Prepare with purpose. Govern with confidence.
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