Although AI investment in the UK continues to grow, the average AI maturity score across the region has dropped.

This is according to the ServiceNow’s latest Enterprise AI Maturity Index, which found that AI maturity across the UK fell by 9 points.

As enterprises struggle to keep pace with rapid innovation, many are finding it difficult to translate AI ambition into scalable, effective execution.

AI is Outpacing Maturity

There is a clear appetite for innovation, with over half (47%) of organisations in Europe and the Middle East launching more than 100 AI use cases in the past year.

More than half (56%) of UK-based organisations are showing this type of AI activity, reflecting growing interest in large-scale experimentation.

The majority of UK organisations are focused on experimentation and expansion, with only 9% reaching the augmentation stage, which is the most advanced stage identified in the survey.

“Whilst we’re still in the early days of AI implementation, there is a clear ambition in the UK to not just invest in AI but become a European leader with this technology,” Damian Stirret, group vice president and general manager UK and Ireland at ServiceNow, said.

“The UK government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan is just one recent example of the UK’s commitment to turn this ambition into action. The focus now must be on scalable and effective execution.”

Recommended reading

• Digital Immaturity Stalling UK AI Ambitions
• Data Skills Gap Leading to Productivity Shortfalls
• AI Skills Gap Puts Public Sector Projects in Jeopardy

Governance: The Missing Link

Rising adoption brings rising risk. AI at scale introduces serious challenges around cybersecurity, privacy, and regulatory compliance. However, progress on governance has improved steadily in the UK.

The number of organisations making significant strides in AI data governance has jumped by 5% year-on-year. Similarly those succeeding in breaking down data and operational silos increased slightly from 40% to 41%.

Yet there remains a need for greater focus on managing AI risk effectively, with just 47% of organisations in the UK say they’ve made strong progress on AI governance.

The slow progress on AI governance indicates organisations must place greater emphasis on this, given that data security is cited as the number one barrier to realising AI value. Data security is also the top concern in the UK.

 To scale AI safely and effectively, governance must be foundational – not an afterthought. That means embedding policy, oversight, and accountability into platforms from the outset and approaching new technologies like agentic AI with a clear strategy in place.