Understanding business leaders' attention to GenAI

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has rapidly captured the attention of UK business leaders, but our research shows that much of this attention is driven by competitive pressure and fear of falling behind, rather than strategic planning or organisational readiness.

The brief explores what’s behind business leaders’ focus on GenAI and offers practical, evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and businesses.

Drawing on survey responses from over 700 IT decision-makers, we examine the current state of GenAI awareness across different regions and sectors, identifying key challenges in data readiness and upskilling.

Rather than chasing the hype, we propose a shift towards value-led adoption, underpinned by stronger data governance, workforce investment and industry-level coordination.