The Work AI Index 2026: UK

Botsitting, botshitting, and the hidden human labour of AI at work

The UK moved fast on AI. 90% of UK digital workers use it and say it saves them 12 hours every week. But only 18% say their organisation is performing significantly better because of it.

So where is that time going?

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Into the work no one planned for: feeding AI context, checking outputs, fixing mistakes, and cleaning up the confident-but-wrong answers AI leaves behind. This report from the Work AI Institute explores why policy is only the start and what it takes to make AI useful in everyday work.

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You’ll learn:

Where AI’s time savings go.
‍UK workers spend 6.3 hours a week botsitting — more time than they spend using AI to produce work.
Why policy isn’t the same as impact.
The UK has built stronger institutional support around AI, but only 18% of workers say their organisation is performing significantly better.
How botsitting turns into botshitting.
70% of UK AI users admit to shipping work they haven’t verified, don’t fully understand, or can’t confidently stand behind.
What separates AI policy from AI impact.
Learn how better context, clearer accountability, meaningful metrics, and redesigned workflows help turn institutional confidence into measurable impact.

Discover the hidden work of making AI usable.

The Work AI Index 2026: UK

Botsitting, botshitting, and the hidden human labour of AI at work

The UK moved fast on AI. 90% of UK digital workers use it and say it saves them 12 hours every week. But only 18% say their organisation is performing significantly better because of it.

So where is that time going?

‍

You’ll learn:

Where AI’s time savings go.
‍UK workers spend 6.3 hours a week botsitting — more time than they spend using AI to produce work.
Why policy isn’t the same as impact.
The UK has built stronger institutional support around AI, but only 18% of workers say their organisation is performing significantly better.
How botsitting turns into botshitting.
70% of UK AI users admit to shipping work they haven’t verified, don’t fully understand, or can’t confidently stand behind.
What separates AI policy from AI impact.
Learn how better context, clearer accountability, meaningful metrics, and redesigned workflows help turn institutional confidence into measurable impact.

The AI Transformation 100

100 ideas from leaders redefining how we work with AI

AI has moved fast—but transformation hasn’t. Too many organizations are still stuck between hype and results.

This report, brought to you by the Work AI Institute, distills insights from 100+ leaders into practical, evidence-backed plays for using AI to transform work.

You’ll learn:

Five big lessons for leading through AI change.
Learn why AI doesn’t fix broken systems—it amplifies them.
Nine themes reshaping work.
From Division of Labor to Leadership, see how AI is rewiring the core of how organizations function.
Real-world examples.
Lessons from Time, Workday, Deloitte, Zendesk, Oracle, Uber, Instacart, and more.
The AI BS Quiz.
A quick gut-check to see if your organization is making real progress—or just performing innovation theater.

Join the leaders transforming how humans and AI work together to drive real results.

The AI Transformation 100

100 ideas from leaders redefining how we work with AI

Five big lessons for leading through AI change.
Learn why AI doesn’t fix broken systems—it amplifies them.
Nine themes reshaping work.
From Division of Labor to Leadership, see how AI is rewiring the core of how organizations function.
Real-world examples.
Lessons from Time, Workday, Deloitte, Zendesk, Oracle, Uber, Instacart, and more.
The AI BS Quiz.
A quick gut-check to see if your organization is making real progress—or just performing innovation theater.