ONS: 29 percent of UK businesses now use AI
July 3, 2026
New ONS data shows that 29 percent of UK businesses used at least one AI technology in June 2026. Among large firms, the share is already 49 percent.
What this is about
The Office for National Statistics published new BICS data on 2 July 2026. According to the release, almost three in ten UK businesses with at least ten employees used at least one AI technology in June 2026. The ONS gives the figure as 29 percent, eight percentage points higher than in June 2025.
For businesses with 250 or more employees, the share is 49 percent. That is what makes the number interesting: AI is no longer only a pilot-project topic, but a normal part of many workflows.
What the ONS data actually measures
The figures come from Wave 159 of the Business Insights and Conditions Survey, which ran from 15 to 28 June 2026. The ONS notes that these are official statistics in development and should be interpreted with caution.
The most common use was text generation with large language models: 17 percent of businesses used it in June 2026. Visual content creation came second at 14 percent. Both figures have risen sharply since September 2023.
Why it matters
Many AI debates stay abstract: better models, new tools, larger data centres. The ONS number shows the other side: everyday adoption. If almost every third firm uses AI, job profiles, procurement, compliance and training start to change.
The gap between large and smaller businesses is especially relevant. Large firms can more easily build AI into processes, training and governance. Smaller firms often use individual tools, but have fewer resources for privacy, quality control and staff education.
In plain language
Imagine a workshop where at first only one employee tests a cordless screwdriver. Two years later, one sits in almost every third workbench drawer. The question is no longer whether cordless screwdrivers are useful. The question is who knows when to use one, who checks the bits and who notices when a screw is sitting wrong.
AI in businesses is similar. The tool has arrived, but the working rules are still catching up.
A practical example
A medium-sized services company with 120 employees uses AI for proposals, email drafts and simple graphics. Ten employees save 25 minutes each per day. That sounds like roughly 20 hours per week.
At the same time, new risks appear: a proposal can contain wrong assumptions, an image can create rights questions, and sensitive customer data must not be copied into arbitrary tools. The productivity gain becomes reliable only when review, training and tool selection are properly governed.
Scope and limits
- The ONS data shows usage, not automatic productivity gain or output quality.
- The survey covers businesses with at least ten employees, so very small firms are not equally visible.
- The statistics are in development, so methodology and questions may change in later waves.
SEO & GEO keywords
ONS, UK business AI adoption, BICS, AI in business, Large Language Models, text generation, visual AI, productivity, workplace AI, AI adoption 2026
💡 In plain English
AI is no longer just an experiment inside UK businesses. The ONS numbers show that text generators and image tools are now common enough to measurably affect work, training and competition.
Key Takeaways
- →29 percent of UK businesses used at least one AI technology in June 2026.
- →Among firms with 250 or more employees, the ONS figure was 49 percent.
- →Text generation with LLMs was the most common reported AI use at 17 percent.
- →The figures show usage, but not guaranteed productivity gains.
FAQ
Which businesses does the ONS count?
The quoted figure refers to businesses with ten or more employees in the BICS survey.
Which AI use is most common?
Text generation with large language models reached 17 percent of businesses in June 2026.
Does usage mean productivity?
No. The statistic measures adoption, not quality, savings or error rates.