- Expleo AI Pulse shows the AI confidence gap widening among UK business leaders
- Nearly a third said their work would be unchanged without the AI tools they use today
- Only 24% said work would become more complicated without the tools, while 22% said it would become more stressful
- Leaders are increasingly judging AI by measurable impact in business projects, including automation, predictive maintenance and data-led decision-making
- Confidence in UK organisations’ ability to use AI successfully fell from 68% to 62%, while excitement dropped from 65% to 63%
- The UK AI Pulse sentiment score fell to 63 in June, its lowest level since the tracker began
London, UK, 21 July 2026 – New data from Expleo, the engineering, technology and consulting services provider, shows a widening AI confidence gap among UK business leaders, as excitement and confidence fall to new lows and more leaders question whether the technology is making a positive difference.
This month’s findings suggest leaders are judging the value of AI tools by the tangible benefits they offer. When asked what impact losing the AI tools they use today would have on their day-to-day work, nearly a third (29%) said it would make no difference.
The data also suggests leaders are not seeing AI tools reduce complexity or work pressures. Only 24% said work would become more complicated without them, while 22% said it would become more stressful. One in six said they would not have enough hours in the day to complete their work without their current AI tools, with the same proportion saying valuable data would be lost.
At an organisational level, leaders are increasingly judging AI by its role in business projects such as process automation, predictive maintenance, data-led decision-making and responsible deployment at scale.
Jeff Hoyle, EVP and MD UK at Expleo, said: “Leaders may be among the first to apply more scrutiny to AI because they can see how it is performing across the organisation. They can see where AI is improving the delivery of business projects, where it is improving access to data or strengthening decision-making, and where the benefits are still difficult to prove at scale.
“If leaders are not seeing clear evidence that AI is improving how projects are delivered, that is likely to shape decision-making and future investment in the technology. This makes it increasingly important for AI-led projects to demonstrate how they are improving quality, speed and capability.”
The wider AI Pulse data for July reinforces the emergence of a confidence gap. Excitement fell by two points to 63% and confidence by six points to 62%, both tracker lows. Leaders were less worried about AI transforming their organisations, but concern about its impact on their own jobs rose by four points to 40%.
Trust in organisations to use AI ethically remained at 69%, while concern about AI-related cybersecurity risks edged up to 58%.
Hoyle added: “AI Pulse tracks the sentiment that shapes strategy and investment decisions. This month’s results suggest the AI confidence gap is widening, which could make leaders more selective about where AI investment goes next.
“The strongest AI projects will be able to show where the technology is reducing pressure, improving decisions, protecting data and creating measurable value. That evidence will be crucial to closing the confidence gap and unlocking the next phase of AI investment.“
