Deloitte: Annual Spend on AI for Personal Use Reaches £958m

According to new findings from Deloitte’s workplace AI survey of 25,000 workers, employees in the UK spend an estimated £958m (US$1.29bn) each year on gen AI tools for work.

The study also reveals that almost a third of gen AI users across the UK workforce adopt these tools without employer knowledge, a trend commonly referred to as "shadow AI."

Hayley McKelvey, Deloitte UK’s Chief AI Officer, speaks to Finance Chief exclusively: “It’s really important that leaders reinforce that AI is there to augment human capabilities, not replace them, and should encourage employees to experiment and learn by working with AI.

“The organisations that will get the most value from AI are those that make responsible use visible, supported and part of everyday work.”

Adoption outruns policy

According to Deloitte UK’s inaugural Generative AI Workforce Survey, UK employees are adopting AI faster than their employers can provide it.

 Nearly two-thirds (63%) of working adults aged 18–70 deliberately use gen AI on the job, with 24% relying on it daily. 

To get work done, many turn to unsanctioned options: 46% use free tools with 31% engaging in “shadow AI”  without their employer's knowledge. Additionally, 17% spend their own money on subscription tools – amounting to an estimated £958m (US$1.29bn) in annual out-of-pocket personal spending.

This proactive approach stems largely from a perceived lack of direction, with 65% of users reporting unconvincing leadership regarding workplace AI policy. While workers save an average of 70 minutes per week – which most re-invest into their current job – unease remains. Nearly a quarter (23%) sense a workplace stigma around AI usage, and 64% of weekly users fear management will view the technology as a replacement for their roles.

Everyday tasks lead use cases

Deloitte's findings further demonstrate that gen AI is primarily applied to routine daily tasks. The most prevalent applications include retrieving information (43%), composing email messages (43%), and generating text summaries (31%).

Paul Lee, Partner and Head of Industry Insight at Deloitte UK, comments: The story here isn't that workers are using GenAI, it's that they are using it despite limited training, patchy guidance and, in some cases, without their employer's knowledge.

“What's particularly striking is how quickly GenAI has become part of everyday working life. Yet for many workers its role remains relatively basic, focused on searching for information and drafting content rather than supporting more complex work.

“The organisations that gain the greatest advantage from AI will be those that move beyond simply providing access to tools and focus on helping people use them with the appropriate guardrails and purpose.”

Deloitte's key partners:

Amazon Web Services: AWS is a comprehensive cloud platform offering on-demand computing power, database storage, machine learning capabilities and content delivery network services to businesses across the globe.

Google Cloud: Google Cloud delivers enterprise-grade cloud computing services, data analytics tools, cybersecurity solutions and advanced AI technologies designed to help organisations scale efficiently and innovate rapidly.

Microsoft: Established in 1975, Microsoft has expanded to become a dominant global technology leader, celebrated for its Windows operating system, Office software suite and cloud computing platforms. Operating worldwide in over 190 countries, Microsoft is currently led by CEO Satya Nadella, who took the helm in 2014. It is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, US.