A new report reveals that 70% of UK businesses have adopted artificial intelligence (AI) in some form, but a significant regional divide is emerging, with companies outside London and older firms at risk of being left behind.
AI Adoption Boosts Productivity and Revenue
The study, which analyzed data from 5.3 million businesses worldwide, found that 77% of UK firms using AI reported a boost in productivity, while 43% said it increased their revenue. Additionally, 27% noted that AI helped shorten their working days, and 28% saw a reduction in costs.
However, not all businesses are keeping pace. The Intuit 2026 AI Impact Report, which combined administrative data from QuickBooks and surveys of over 34,000 businesses in the UK, Canada, US, and Australia, highlights a growing divide in AI adoption across the country.
Regional Disparities in AI Use
London businesses are 13.2 percentage points more likely to make extensive use of AI across their operations compared to the national average. In contrast, businesses in the South East are 13.8 percentage points more likely to say they never use AI, and South West firms are 14.9 percentage points less likely to report extensive AI use. Firms in Wales also tend to use AI in a limited or testing capacity rather than at scale.
Andrew Price, CEO and co-founder of Synapx, commented: "AI allows a small team to operate with the maturity, governance, and delivery capability of a much larger organisation. It accelerates business maturity, and maturity is what unlocks sustainable growth, not just short-term efficiency."
Price added: "We're seeing a growing divide between businesses that are experimenting with AI and those that are embedding it into day-to-day operations."
Benefits Beyond Efficiency
Despite geographical variations, many businesses reaping the rewards of AI are also expanding their workforce. One in five firms using AI reported making more hires due to the technology.
Ciarán Quilty from Intuit said: "UK businesses aren't short of tools, they're short of time and clarity. We're seeing a shift from reactive software to proactive AI embedded into business systems that actually do work on behalf of the customer."
Quilty continued: "By embedding AI directly into key workflows, businesses spend less time managing admin and more time making confident decisions about how they grow. Usage of this kind is growing, and ambitious businesses are beginning to reap the benefits."
The report underscores that while AI adoption is widespread, the gap between leading and lagging firms could widen if regional and generational disparities are not addressed.
