Keep Calm and AI On: The UK leads on AI adoption but trails on confidence
London, United Kingdom – 30th June 2026: New data from SolarWinds reveals that while UK organisations are moving ahead with AI and automation, many IT teams remain cautious about how the shift is playing out in practice.
New research from SolarWinds reveals that while the UK is ahead of both the US and India in embracing AI and automation, confidence in the technology's long-term impact remains surprisingly low. The findings suggest that many organisations are moving quickly to deploy AI, but are still working through the practical business challenges of turning adoption into measurable outcomes.
In the UK, more than half (55%) of IT professionals say their organisation has embraced AI and automation, ahead of the US (51%) and India (45%). This highlights how quickly UK organisations are moving towards more AI-assisted workflows teams want this and are delivering the tools.
Despite this, fewer than one in 10 (9%) of UK IT professionals say they are highly optimistic about the impact of AI and automation over the next two to three years, below peers in the US (12%) and India (16%).
At the same time, AI is adding pressure to IT teams, with nearly a quarter (23%) of UK professionals saying it has increased expectations without reducing workload. UK respondents are also more likely than their US peers to say AI is creating friction in day-to-day work, with only 17% saying it has not added friction or stress, compared with the US (28%) and India (21%).
The UK was also the most likely market to say AI has not yet delivered meaningful operational impact while India was the least.
The findings suggest that while AI adoption is moving quickly in the UK, but many organisations are still working out how to implement it in a way that delivers clear benefits without stretching IT teams further.
"The UK isn't lacking ambition on AI, but it's lacking confidence in how it's being delivered and monitored," said Cullen Childress, Chief Product Officer at SolarWinds.
"Organisations are moving quickly, and many IT teams are being asked to make it work in complex, high-pressure environments where the structure hasn't caught up. That imbalance between speed and control is where friction and risk start to build. The next phase will be about restoring that balance so AI can deliver consistently, not just quickly."
To learn more about the findings, visit: https://www.solarwinds.com/campaign/it-trends