RingCentral Research: UK is Falling Behind on AI

Study reveals gap between AI ambition and execution, with just 16% of UK firms fully deploying digital workers.
More than half (54%) of UK organisations remain in research, exploration, or pilot stages when it comes to AI.
Fears about job replacement drop for UK organisations who have fully deployed digital workers (23%), compared to 45% of those who have not started exploring AI.

RingCentral recently published new research findings that suggest UK businesses are missing out on the full economic benefits of artificial intelligence, with the majority still stuck in experimentation rather than real-world deployment.

The report, “The New Economics of AI at Work: Why Britain Must Move from AI Pilots to AI Systems”, is based on responses from 2,000 IT, HR, and CX leaders across the UK and US and explores how UK businesses are using AI.

The report findings highlight a disconnect between optimism and execution for UK organisations, adding to a possible persistent productivity problem. While 87% of UK organisations view AI positively, only 16% have fully deployed AI-powered digital workers, significantly lagging behind US businesses (41%). More than half (54%) of UK organisations remain in research, exploration, or pilot stages.

Productivity Gains from AI deployment

Despite this, the research shows UK organisations are proving value where AI is fully deployed, with 60% reporting productivity gains and 57% faster workflows.

The data shows that once digital workers are truly embedded in workplaces, they are seen as augmentation to human roles, not replacement. Less than a quarter of workers who have fully deployed digital workers (23%) see job replacement as their biggest concern, compared to those who have not started exploring AI (45%).

The UK market is possibly at a turning point, where early value is evident, but many organisations are still working out how to embed AI into core business processes and realise sustained, enterprise-wide benefits. Leaders say the main barriers they are having to tackle when scaling AI include:

- - cost concerns (35%)
  - integration complexity (35%) and
  - trust and compliance risks (32%).

Russel Tilsed, VP at RingCentral believes the next phase of AI is about embedding intelligence directly into the workflows where decisions are made, stating:

“Despite strong investment and ambition, many UK organisations are failing to scale AI beyond isolated pilots, leaving benefits unrealised. For the UK, the core issue is not technology capability, but integration. AI tools often sit outside everyday workflows, limiting their ability to drive real operational change. As a result, insights generated by AI frequently fail to translate into action. If the UK wants to seize this moment to address persistent productivity challenges, 2026 must be the year AI stops being an experiment and becomes enterprise infrastructure.”

Conversations have become the new system of record

The report identifies a major shift underway: business conversations – across calls, meetings, and messages – are becoming the primary source of actionable data. Voice has emerged as a critical interface, with the preference for voice-based AI interactions to double within two years in the UK. By embedding AI into these interactions, organisations can move from delayed insights to real-time decision-making and execution.

This comes as RingCentral has recently announced a voice-first, omnichannel AI agent platform AIR Pro. Embedded directly within RingCentral’s business communications and contact center platform, AIR Pro can help businesses redefine customer experiences with automation that reduces manual effort. AIR Pro is currently in a controlled availability phase, with broader rollout expected later this year.

Find the report here.

Related Post: RingCentral’s AI Receptionist