Image: ServiceNow’s Knowledge 2025 partner event, held 6 to 8 May 2025.
New research reveals that AI maturity in the UK has declined by 9 points, as enterprises struggle to keep pace with rapid innovation
- 56% of UK organisations launched more than 100 AI use cases in the past year
- There is a clear appetite in UK for AI investment, innovation and large-scale experimentation
- Just 9% of UK organisations have reached the augmentation stage
- 47% of organisations have made strong progress on AI governance and cite data security as a top concern
ServiceNow has released its latest Enterprise AI Maturity Index in partnership with Oxford Economics. Now in its second year, the global report index examines five key components: leadership and strategy, workflows, talent, governance, and investment. Together they provide a comprehensive view of how prepared organisations are to scale AI successfully; their AI maturity level. With just under 4,500 executives from 16 countries and 11 industries, it is a robust analysis to understand AI useage patterns across various levels of organisations.
The findings reveal a surprising trend in the UK: although AI investment continues to grow, the average AI maturity score across the region has dropped by 9 points (from 44 to 35). 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 organisations’ capacity to harness it
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.
Damian Stirrett, Group Vice President & General Manager UK & Ireland at ServiceNow, says “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. 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.”
Governance is 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.
