TLDR: A new report reveals that UK businesses are significantly behind in adopting AI agents at scale, risking a substantial portion of the projected $450 billion in global economic value these technologies are expected to generate by 2028. Despite widespread recognition of AI’s competitive advantages, low trust and strategic gaps are hindering full implementation.
A recent report from Capgemini highlights a critical challenge for UK businesses: a significant lag in the scaled adoption of AI agents, which could lead to them missing out on a substantial share of the estimated $450 billion in global economic value these technologies are projected to generate by 2028. This value is anticipated through a combination of revenue gains and cost savings.
The research indicates a stark disparity in potential gains. Organizations that fully scale AI agent deployment could see an average boost of $382 million over the next three years, whereas those with lower-scale adoption might only realize around $76 million. Alarmingly, the global average for organizations that have fully scaled AI agent deployment stands at a mere 2%, with the UK lagging even further behind at just 1%.
Despite this low adoption rate, there is a strong recognition among business leaders of the competitive edge AI agents offer. Nearly half (47%) of UK businesses are currently piloting AI agents or testing new use cases, and approximately one-fifth (19%) have already partially implemented them. A vast majority, 93% of business leaders, agree that scaling AI agents within the next year would provide a significant competitive advantage, with customer service, IT, and sales identified as the areas most likely to reap the biggest rewards.
However, the path to widespread adoption is fraught with challenges, particularly concerning trust. As companies transition from experimentation to implementation, trust in autonomous AI agents is declining. Globally, confidence has dropped from 43% last year to just 27% this year. The UK mirrors this trend, with trust falling from 50% in 2024 to 32% this year. Overall, 64% of UK respondents express a lack of trust in autonomous AI agents for enterprise use.
Franck Greverie, Capgemini CTO and Chief Product Officer, emphasized the importance of responsible development: “Central to this transformation is the need to build trust in AI by ensuring it is developed responsibly, with ethics and safety baked in from the outset.”
Key barriers preventing companies from scaling AI include a lack of clear strategy, with nearly half of businesses reporting this deficiency. Employee concerns about the impact of AI on jobs and career prospects are also prevalent, reported by 61% of UK business leaders. Furthermore, over half (52%) of UK businesses cite insufficient advanced data infrastructure for managing AI solutions, and only a third (34%) fully understand where best to employ AI agents. Data privacy remains a primary concern for 51% of organizations, with only 34% actively working to mitigate these risks.
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The Capgemini Research Institute’s study surveyed 1,500 business leaders across 14 countries, including 135 executives from the UK, underscoring the global nature of these opportunities and challenges.
