The leadership gap that most boards have yet to address
AI adoption inside UK organisations has accelerated considerably faster than the leadership structures designed to govern it. Senior leaders are setting AI policy, shaping AI strategy and making AI-informed decisions, often without the depth of expertise those responsibilities require, and in many cases without a clear understanding of what is happening at the levels below them.
Our research found that the people setting the rules are also the ones most likely to break them.
We surveyed over 2,000 UK tech workers to understand what is taking place inside organisations. The findings are a direct challenge to the assumptions many boards are still operating with.
The headlines
Why this matters for the leaders reading it
Your board may be missing the capability this moment requires
69% of the workforce believe their organisation needs a dedicated AI specialist at the most senior level, and 80% of existing C-suite leaders agree. In most organisations, that role does not yet exist.
Your accountability is greater than you may realise
When an AI-informed decision goes wrong, the tool is not at fault – the leader accountable for it is. Two-thirds of tech workers have already seen AI cause a mistake at their company, and in most organisations it is still unclear who at the top carries responsibility when it does.
Your workforce is watching, and losing confidence
Only 27% of frontline staff trust the AI expertise of their C-suite, and that erosion has consequences beyond perception, affecting talent retention, engagement and the ability to execute a strategy the workforce does not believe in.
What's inside the whitepaper
This 24-page report provides a comprehensive picture of AI usage across UK workplaces, based on independent research with 2,020 tech workers spanning every level of seniority.
You’ll discover:
- The real state of AI adoption across different seniority levels, and where the sharpest risks are concentrated
- Why senior leaders are the biggest AI risk-takers inside their own organisations
- The delta between what leadership projects publicly and what the workforce experiences day to day
- Why 80% of C-suite executives believe they need a dedicated AI specialist at board level
- What needs to change across leadership, strategy, governance and skills
- Five practical actions you can take today
AI in the Workforce report
The full findings from our research with over 2,000 UK tech workers cover where the biggest risks are hiding inside your organisation and provide a practical framework for what to fix first.
How we can help
Leading from the top
69% of the workforce believe their company needs an AI specialist in the C-suite, and 80% of existing C-suite leaders agree with them. We place Chief Technology Officers, Chief Data & AI Officers and the leading AI Transformation Executives who bring genuine AI & agentic thinking to the board. Our network of leaders can challenge decisions, set direction and enforce standards at the level where it matters most.
About the research: This research was conducted by Censuswide among a sample of 2,020 employees in the UK working in tech, aged 18 and over. The data was collected between 16 and 23 December 2025. Respondents span all seniority levels: C-suite executives (27%), directors (19%), senior management (27%), middle management (15%), intermediate level (9%), and entry level (2%). Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles.