- 75% of companies believe they are better at AI than their competitors, but only 12% meet the criteria to be an AI leader
- 93% of UK businesses think expanding AI is important, but only 3% will be given additional budget (compared to 60% of US businesses)
- 77% of respondents say data is the biggest challenge to using AI effectively
LONDON, July 8, 2026 (Globe Newswire) — Most UK businesses believe they are ahead of their competitors when it comes to AI, with 38% of UK businesses already moving agent AI beyond the pilot stage. However, new research from EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS), a global data and AI company, shows that while companies are making significant strides in integrating AI across core business functions, only 12% of companies are realizing a significant return on investment (ROI) from their AI initiatives.
3rd annual The EXL UK Enterprise AI Study is based on a survey of 212 executives and other senior decision makers in the banking, finance, insurance, retail and utilities industries. The results reveal a significant disconnect between how organizations measure AI progress and where they currently stand in real-world AI integration.
Bhupender Singh, Managing Director and Head of International Growth Markets at EXL, said: “As pressure increases on UK businesses to deliver tangible results from AI, leaders in the sector are differentiating themselves by fundamentally rethinking their businesses.” “To catch up with these leaders, companies that lag behind will need to redesign not just their technology, but their operating models, from workflows to talent management to the underlying data infrastructure.”
Below are some of the report’s key findings.
- Most UK companies overestimate advances in AI integration: 75% of UK business leaders say they are ahead of their competitors when it comes to enterprise AI integration, but our research shows that only 12% qualify as AI leaders. These leaders went beyond pilots to incorporate AI into high-impact workflows and reimagine the way they work to drive greater business value.
- UK companies struggle with data in AI implementation: Overall, 77% of respondents said data is the biggest challenge to using AI effectively, even though improving data quality and accessibility is recognized as the most important approach to scaling future AI implementations. Companies that were successful with AI were approximately five times more likely to say they had a cutting-edge data management program in place than those that were behind.
- Utilities see the biggest return on AI investments: Agentic AI is being deployed in areas ranging from customer service and experience in banking, finance, and insurance, product management in retail, and network security in utilities. But utilities have made the biggest improvements in reducing costs, increasing revenue, and boosting profits. UK utilities saw an average improvement of 27% across these financial metrics with AI and 28% with agent AI. Insurance companies have the lowest economic returns, with average returns of 18% and 17%, respectively. This may be a question of who prioritizes AI, as 61% of utility organizations rate expanding AI as very important, compared to just 33% of insurance companies.
- Leaders will reimagine their operating models to align with AI: UK companies defined as AI leaders understand that this technology cannot be extended as a bolt-on to traditional operating models. Last year’s research found that 52% of leaders have completely redesigned their company-wide operating model to embrace and benefit from AI. This year, 35% of leaders say they have done so. To their credit, AI laggards are starting to get the message. Just 3% of laggards in last year’s survey reported redesigning their operating models, but this year that number has jumped to 38%.
To explore our findings further, download the 2026 EXL UK Enterprise AI Study. For more information and to explore how EXL can add value to your AI initiatives, please contact us.
About EXL
EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a global data and AI company that provides services and solutions that help clients reinvent their business models, drive better outcomes, and achieve faster growth. EXL leverages the power of data, AI, and deep industry knowledge to transform businesses, including some of the world’s largest companies in industries such as insurance, healthcare, banking and capital markets, retail, communications and media, energy and infrastructure, and more. EXL was founded in 1999 with core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. The company is headquartered in New York and has approximately 67,000 employees on six continents. For more information, please visit www.exlservice.com.
Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should not place undue reliance on such statements as they are subject to numerous uncertainties and factors relating to EXL’s operations and business environment. All of them are difficult to predict and many are beyond EXL’s control. Forward-looking statements include information regarding EXL’s possible or expected future performance, including a description of its business strategy. These statements may include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate” or similar expressions. These statements are based on assumptions made by the Company in consideration of management’s experience in the industry, historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors that it believes to be appropriate under the circumstances. Please understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. These include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although EXL believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you are cautioned that many factors could affect EXL’s actual financial and operating results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These factors include our ability to maintain and grow customer demand, our ability to hire and retain a well-trained workforce, and our ability to accurately estimate and manage costs, rising interest rates, rising inflation and economic downturn trends, and are more fully described in EXL’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including EXL’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. Please note that forward-looking statements made herein or elsewhere speak only as of the date on which they are made. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible to predict these events or how they may affect EXL. EXL undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the date hereof, except as required by federal securities laws.
media contact
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