Making AI usable for UK business leaders

Date:
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:03:10 +0000

Description:
The real AI challenge for UK businesses isnt access to powerful AI models;
its getting usable AI agents into the hands of decision-makers.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The real AI challenge for UK businesses isnt access to powerful AI models; its getting usable AI agents into the hands of decision-makers.

From retail to manufacturing to financial services, business leaders are rethinking what operations look like in an AI world, embedding it in back-end systems, having it automate processes and empower data analytics teams. For
UK businesses to really unlock the competitive advantage of AI tools , the technology must move beyond technical teams and into the hands of these decision-makers. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Michael Green Social Links Navigation

UK&I Managing Director & Country Leader at Databricks. When leaders are empowered to question, interpret and act on AI-driven insights, productivity gains become real, agility improves and AI shifts from technical innovation
to a business advantage.

The enabler of this shift is the ability to chat to data in natural language, built on modern, unified data foundations that power it. You may like From AI insight to business outcomes: What enterprises need to move beyond the Chat Phase Why a staggering 42% of business AI projects are currently failing Holistic AI adoption: the key to unlocking enterprise value Natural language is redefining how leaders interact with data and AI Despite the increased investment in AI infrastructure, business leaders continue to struggle to extract valuable insights from their enterprise data. Before it reaches the boardroom, information is frequently vetted by layers of dashboards,
analysts, or technical teams. This all takes time and in fast-moving markets, that delay is a competitive disadvantage.

Even for businesses with strong data foundations in place, a degree of technical knowledge is still needed when using traditional analytics tools. However, new natural language tools are changing how people interact with company data. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners
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Now, decision-makers can talk to agents running on their own enterprise data in plain English as if they were chatting to a colleague. They can ask about revenue trends, operational risks or market headwinds, receiving instant insights rather than solely depending on complicated dashboards or expert analysis. Such tools ensure compliance with existing data access and governance policies, giving leaders confidence that the results are secure
and auditable.

Crucially, this move to natural language AI doesn't undermine the
significance of data teams. Rather, it allows them to concentrate on creating strong agents and governance structures, whilst giving business leaders the opportunity to directly question the insights. A new database for the AI
world It takes more than just implementing new AI agents to close this gap.
To get real-time insights - instead of looking back at past data, organizations must move to modern data architectures. This means operational and analytical work can run on a unified data foundation, utilizing tools designed for each task. This reduces complexity, improves efficiency and enables faster iteration - all critical benefits in the AI era. What to read next Why AIs investment must materialize for the C-Suite How AI will collide with data readiness AI confidence gap is stalling UK small businesses

A new concept known as a lakebase tackles these problems head-on. It delivers the reliability of an operational database and the openness of a data lake in one place, so teams can run transactions and analytics without juggling systems.

It gives fast access to data, scales easily, and fits modern ways of working, like quickly creating and managing various versions of data. Built for todays AI-driven workloads, a lakebase lets both developers and AI agents build, test, and ship applications quickly, without the constraints of traditional databases.

This type of architectural transformation is crucial for leadership teams. It guarantees that the intelligence behind AI can be accessed where decisions
are made, rather than being hidden away in disconnected systems. AI literacy at leadership level will define the next wave of competitiveness AI literacy is no longer optional at leadership level, its a core business capability. As AI becomes more accessible, leaders who are more confident in their ability
to use these tools will be the ones ahead of the curve.

However, a lack of AI literacy within organizations remains one of the
biggest barriers to successful deployment. PwC found that 68% of UK CEOs say
a lack of tech capabilities is inhibiting their ability to progress with digital transformation. To ensure a smooth transition, businesses should take a structured approach to AI training, aligning upskilling with business
goals.

This means taking ownership of internal AI education and integrating continuous learning programs to ensure leaders feel thoroughly equipped to engage with new processes and translate data intelligence into strategic action.

For the UK to solidify its position as an AI superpower, businesses must move beyond idealist AI hype and focus on practical execution. Investing in AI literacy at leadership level and breaking down data silos will determine whether AI delivers meaningful business value, or remains an untapped opportunity. Turning AI capability into economic advantage UK businesses have a unique opportunity to collectively work towards leading a new era of AI development and data intelligence. But without addressing the fundamental challenges of implementation, we risk falling behind.

How well businesses use AI to empower decision-makers will be the true difference here. The advantages become evident when leaders are able to
engage directly with their data, pose challenging queries and confidently act upon AI-driven insights. Only then can businesses react to changes in the market quicker, productivity increases, and industry-wide innovation picks up speed.

Moving AI from the back office to the boardroom is a strategic shift that, if in the hands of business leaders, will become a genuine driver of UK economic growth. We list the best data visualization tools . This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives , our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit



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