Government to partner with tech companies, trade unions and industry leaders to boost AI adoption and equip workers with AI skills

9 Jun 2026 02:36 PM

More than £200 million in government support to help companies in Britain adopt AI – paving the way for the UK to become fastest AI adopting country in the G7

Thousands of workers and businesses across the UK are set to benefit from a major new push to put AI to work – backing companies to adopt the technology while equipping people with the skills to use it.  

At the first-ever AI Adoption Summit (Monday 8 June), government recently brought together major tech companies, trade unions and industry leaders to drive the adoption of AI in ways that boost growth while creating new opportunities for workers and supporting them with new skills. Alongside this, more than £200 million of government investment – backed by partnerships with industry and trade unions - will help turn that approach into action, supporting skills, opening up routes into AI careers for young people, and helping businesses put AI into practice. 

Many businesses and individuals want to use AI but don’t yet have the tools, support or confidence to do so – holding back productivity and growth. The government recently unveiled a first-of-its-kind partnership on AI adoption – working with businesses, trade unions and workers to spread adoption across our economy, give workers they skills they need to thrive in the AI-era, while ensuring workers can have a say over how AI is implemented in their workforce.  

To help turn that ambition into action, a new package of support – backed up £200 million – will make it easier for businesses to test, adopt and scale AI. Measures announced recently include:  

This comes as government and industry’s AI Skills Boost programme hits over 1.7 million AI skills courses completed and nine companies including Cisco, IBM and Deloitte plan to support the expansion of training to employers, contributing to job creation  and helping smaller businesses adopt the technology. Trade organisations are also launching their own efforts to share what works on AI adoption, and highlight what needs fixing.  

Together, these commitments form a coordinated national push to accelerate uptake across the key sectors of the economy earmarked for growth under the Industrial Strategy – giving businesses the tools and confidence to adopt AI, and ensuring people have the skills to benefit.  

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall recently said:  

AI is the defining technology of our lifetime, and it has the power to transform lives for the better – but only if everyone gets a stake in it.   

That is why we are bringing together businesses, trade unions and workers in a shared mission to make sure no one is left behind.   

By giving workers the skills they need, opening up opportunities for young people, and backing businesses of every size to adopt this technology, we can ensure AI delivers for everyone in every part of Britain. 

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves recently said:   

Britain’s future will be shaped by the choices we make now. Our economic plan is the right one, and AI and innovation is one of my three big choices to grow our economy.   

Today we are going further and faster to drive AI adoption, give workers and businesses the tools and skills they need, and harness AI to deliver secure, resilient growth across the country.

With the public and private sector working in lockstep it will help ensure people and companies have what they need to benefit from AI. By combining investment in skills and practical support for AI adoption, the UK is creating the conditions to drive growth, better jobs and opportunity across the country.

Notes to Editors

Pioneering firms and major organisations are already leading the way on AI adoption here in the UK, including: 

The AI Champion’s AI Adoption Plans, and the government’s response to them, can be viewed on GOV.UK.  

The Financial Services AI Adoption Plan will be published in due course.  

The businesses newly signed up to support the the Spärck AI Scholarships programme are BT, HSBC, LSEG, National Grid, Octopus Energy, WPP, and Universal Music Group. They join existing Anchor partners AISI, Beamery, CausaLens, Darktrace, Faculty, Flok, i.AI, PolyAI, and Quantexa 

Together with BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, we are also launching the AI Assurance Stakeholder Consortium. AI assurance - essentially, how we measure, evaluate and communicate the trustworthiness of AI systems - is a strong and growing market for the UK, with the potential to reach £18.8 billion Gross Value Added by 2035. The Consortium will develop guidance and best practice to support the sector’s development and help deliver AI people can trust.  

Organisations can apply to the Pro-Worker AI Exposition Prize.  

Here is a list of organisations that signed the AI Adoption Insights agreement: