AI adoption has become nearly universal among UK enterprises, with 93% of UK organisations using the technology in some form.

However, only 7% have fully embedded governance frameworks to manage its risks, according to Trustmarque’s AI Governance Index 2025.

AI governance is the framework of policies and controls to ensure AI operates transparently, fairly, and meets regulatory requirements. As AI becomes embedded in critical business processes, governance must be integrated from design through to deployment. By preventing bias, safeguarding data and meeting compliance requirements, solid governance builds confidence and paves the way for long‑term, trustworthy AI.

Trustmarque, a technology reseller,  has launched a report, based on a survey of 507 senior UK IT decision-makers, highlighting a widening gap between the speed of AI adoption and the maturity of supporting governance structures.

The report found that just 4% of firms consider their technology infrastructure fully AI-ready, with only 8% having integrated AI governance into their software development lifecycle.

The research found that organisations still largely rely on legacy software development processes which haven’t been updated to account for AI-specific risks such as model bias or explainability gaps. Only 28% apply bias detection during testing, and fewer still (22%) test for model interpretability.

Infrastructure and tooling also present barriers to governance according to the IT leaders surveyed. Just 4% of organisations say their data and infrastructure environments are fully prepared to support AI at scale. Registries, audit trails, and version control for AI models are often manual or missing entirely.

When it comes to accountability for AI oversight, the research found it is fragmented. Only 9% report alignment between IT leadership and governance, while 19% say there is no clear owner for governance activity. Executive engagement remains low, with most AI governance driven at the departmental level rather than through strategic leadership.

This lack of central ownership is reflected in how few organisations measure the effectiveness of their governance. Just 18% have implemented continuous monitoring with KPIs to track progress.

“Our report shows that AI adoption is outpacing governance,” said Seb Burrell, head of AI at Trustmarque. “It’s a clear gap – 93% of organisations are using AI but only 7% have fully embedded governance frameworks.

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“Right now, systems and processes haven’t kept up with the speed of innovation. Development teams lack proper tooling and infrastructure, and the issues are compounded by the lack of management buy-in for building robust governance systems.

“Governance is also often seen as a constraint, but our findings suggest otherwise. Organisations that have adopted AI governance are seeing real, tangible benefits – faster deployments, stronger accountability, and reduced manual review cycles. It’s a vital support function to enable responsible, scalable AI.”

James McKeown, AI Governance Specialist and Principal Test Consultant at Acutest said: “What stood out in this research is how many organisations are adopting AI without fully understanding the risks,” said James McKeown, AI Governance Specialist and Principal Test Consultant at Acutest.

“We see projects moving fast, but often without the checks, controls, or delivery oversight needed to support them. That’s where governance makes the difference. Without it, you’re not just risking compliance gaps, you’re risking poor outcomes, rising costs, and wasted time. Governance isn’t about slowing things down. It’s what helps organisations scale AI safely and effectively.”