Generative AI Gains Momentum as UK Businesses Turn Challenges into Opportunities – HR News
A recent YouGov survey by leading data consultancy firm Oakland reveals promising progress in how businesses view artificial intelligence as a tool for overcoming data challenges. While some barriers remain, organisations are showing an increasing openness to leveraging AI to transform their operations and unlock the potential of their data.
While 37% of organisations still report low trust in AI, a significant majority are starting to engage with its possibilities. Generative AI, in particular, is emerging as a practical solution for addressing long-standing barriers like unstructured data, information overload, and expertise shortages.
Joe Horgan, Principal Consultant at Oakland, describes this shift as a turning point,
“More businesses are realising that AI isn’t just a futuristic concept – it’s a tool they can use today to work smarter and solve real problems. Generative AI is breaking down barriers and helping organisations see what’s possible.”
The full survey results and Oakland’s expert insights are included in the Navigating The Emerging Generative AI Gap report.
3 Ways Generative AI Can Make A Difference In Your Business
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Unlocking Your Document Mountain
When knowledge isn’t shared among a business, the same mistakes are often made time and time again. An overwhelming volume of data and reports often goes untapped because of the lack of resources to manage them meaning important lessons are lost in the noise.
Generative AI offers a solution by summarising and organising unstructured data, allowing employees to quickly access key insights buried in documentation, incident reports, and historical lessons. By making information more accessible and navigable, AI eliminates the bottleneck caused by fragmented knowledge and enables businesses to leverage critical data for improved decision-making.
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Organising the Information Tsunami
Many organisations have invested in monitoring systems but are now grappling with an overwhelming volume of alerts and alarms. While 35% of respondents cited the lack of proven ROI in AI as a challenge, monitoring and control teams are endlessly distracted and may struggle to separate the genuine alerts from the noise, minimising the productivity of their work.
Generative AI can scan these alerts and match them to relevant policies, procedures, and operational data. This allows organisations to streamline decision-making and ensures teams respond more efficiently to critical issues, saving time and reducing the risk of errors.
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Solving Your Expert Shortage
The survey highlighted a key concern: the shortage of in-house expertise, with 41% of businesses identifying this as a major barrier. Many organisations have tried to bridge this gap with expensive “business partnering” models in functions like Finance, HR, and IT, but these solutions are often overstretched.
Generative AI offers an effective alternative by acting as a constantly available expert. It can prepare reports, provide tailored insights, and answer detailed queries without the need for extensive human intervention. By automating knowledge-sharing and insights, generative AI allows businesses to provide expert-level support across teams, ensuring that employees have access to timely, relevant expertise when they need it.
AI Workshop: Building Confidence in AI Adoption
Oakland is offering a free AI discovery workshop to help businesses bridge this readiness gap. The workshop is designed to provide organisations with the practical tools and guidance they need to confidently explore AI and its potential applications in their specific industries.
During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to:
- Explore their current challenges and identify potential AI solutions tailored to their needs
- Understand how AI can enhance business processes, operational efficiency, and decision-making
- Learn about real-world AI use cases and proven success stories from production environments
- Receive expert advice on navigating AI adoption challenges, such as data privacy and closing internal skills gaps
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