AI will only transform Britain if it works for everyone
Read this guest blog by Daljish Channa, Accenture's Corporate Citizenship Lead in the UK.
Gen AI is often hailed as the most accessible technology revolution yet. Unlike previous waves of technology, you don't need to write code or master complex systems - you simply ask a question.
AI is already everywhere - and holds real potential to change our lives and significantly boost economic growth. It is changing how businesses run, how people find jobs and access public services. For many, it’s ushered in a 24/7 personal assistant in our pockets.
Ubiquity also carries with it a dangerous assumption: that because this technology feels intuitive and is widely adopted then digital inclusion will naturally follow. The fact is that nearly eight million people in the UK lack essential digital skills. And for many of these people, the barriers to AI are not technical at all. The real barriers are confidence, trust and fear of getting things wrong.
If AI is to become the gateway to jobs and everyday services, then we risk millions of people missing out on the opportunities it creates.
Take fraud, for example. Every day, people are warned about deepfakes and online scams. At the same time, they are increasingly being asked to share personal information online and navigate digital-first services. Concerns about fraud, privacy and making mistakes can create deep uncertainty about engaging with digital technologies.
Digital inclusion is therefore no longer about getting people online, but about ensuring people have the confidence to make AI work for them.
We've seen this first-hand through Accenture’s Regenerative AI initiative. Working with organisations including Good Things Foundation, Stay Nimble, Tech She Can, and Movement to Work, we have reached over one million people to develop the skills needed to participate in a more AI-driven society.
The challenge becomes clear in stories, like Sarah Tillet’s. After redundancy and taking time away from work to care for her mother, Sarah found herself returning to a completely new jobs market. Recruitment had moved online. Applications were digital. AI-enabled tools were becoming a much larger part of the process. Re-entering the world of work had become much more complex, and Sarah felt she lacked the confidence to navigate this new landscape.
Sarah received one-to-one coaching with Stay Nimble and practical employability support. She used AI to strengthen her CV, search for opportunities and explore a new career direction, rebuilding her confidence after a difficult period of uncertainty and burnout.
Today, she is retraining to become a counsellor and therapist, equipped with new digital skills and, more importantly, renewed confidence in what she can achieve. Sarah's experience is not a one off. It reflects a much wider challenge facing the UK.
Too often, we assume everyone is equally ready to participate in an AI-driven world. We assume everyone has a smartphone. We assume everyone has reliable internet access. We assume younger people are naturally AI fluent simply because they've grown up online.
As AI becomes embedded into our lives, designing around those assumptions also risks excluding the very people AI has the potential to support most.
If we want AI to drive economic growth and create opportunity across the UK, digital inclusion must keep pace with innovation. That means designing services that account for poor connectivity, limited data, low confidence and varying levels of trust.
The success of Britain's AI ambitions may not ultimately be measured by the power of its models or the scale of its infrastructure, but by whether people feel confident enough to benefit from them.
If we want AI to drive growth and opportunity across the country, digital inclusion must be built into the journey from the very beginning. Only then can AI become a force for widening opportunity
techUK - Seizing the AI Opportunity
The UK is a global leader in AI innovation, development and adoption.
AI has the potential to boost UK GDP by £550 billion by 2035, making adoption an urgent economic priority. techUK and our members are committed to working with the Government to turn the AI Opportunities Action Plan into reality. Together we can ensure the UK seizes the opportunities presented by AI technology and continues to be a world leader in AI development.
Get involved: techUK runs a busy calendar of activities including events, reports, and insights to demonstrate some of the most significant AI opportunities for the UK. Our AI Hub is where you will find details of all upcoming activity. We also send a monthly AI newsletter which you can subscribe to here.
Upcoming AI Events
Latest news and insights
Subscribe to our AI newsletter
AI and Data Analytics updates
Sign-up to our monthly newsletter to get the latest updates and opportunities from our AI and Data Analytics Programme straight to your inbox.
Contact the team
Kir Nuthi
Kir Nuthi
Kir Nuthi is the Head of AI and Data at techUK.
She holds over seven years of Government Affairs and Tech Policy experience in the US and UK. Kir previously headed up the regulatory portfolio at a UK advocacy group for tech startups and held various public affairs in US tech policy. All involved policy research and campaigns on competition, artificial intelligence, access to data, and pro-innovation regulation.
Kir has an MSc in International Public Policy from University College London and a BA in both Political Science (International Relations) and Economics from the University of California San Diego.
Outside of techUK, you are likely to find her attempting studies at art galleries, attempting an elusive headstand at yoga, mending and binding books, or chasing her dog Maya around South London's many parks.
- Email:
- [email protected]
Usman Ikhlaq
Usman Ikhlaq
Usman joined techUK in January 2024 as Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence.
He leads techUK’s AI Adoption programme, supporting members of all sizes and sectors in adopting AI at scale. His work involves identifying barriers to adoption, exploring solutions, and helping to unlock AI’s transformative potential, particularly its benefits for people, the economy, society, and the planet. He is also committed to advancing the UK’s AI sector and ensuring the UK remains a global leader in AI by working closely with techUK members, the UK Government, regulators, and devolved and local authorities.
Since joining techUK, Usman has delivered a regular drumbeat of activity to engage members and advance techUK's AI programme. This has included two campaign weeks, the creation of the AI Adoption Hub (now the AI Hub), the AI Leader's Event Series, the Putting AI into Action webinar series and the Industrial AI sprint campaign.
Before joining techUK, Usman worked as a policy, regulatory and government/public affairs professional in the advertising sector. He has also worked in sales, marketing, and FinTech.
Usman holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a GDL and LLB from BPP Law School, and a BA from Queen Mary University of London.
When he isn’t working, Usman enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He also has a keen interest in running, reading and travelling.
Sue Daley OBE
Sue Daley OBE
Sue leads techUK's Technology and Innovation work. This includes work programmes on AI, Cloud, Data, Quantum, Semiconductors, Digital ID and Digital ethics as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy. In 2025, Sue was honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Technology Industry in the New Year Honours List. She has also been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame.
A key influencer in driving forward the tech agenda in the UK, in December 2025 Sue was appointed to the UK Government’s Women in Tech Taskforce by the Technology Secretary of State. She also sits on the UK Government’s Smart Data Council, Satellite Applications Catapult Advisory Group, Bank of England’s AI Consortium and BSI’s Digital Strategic Advisory Group. Previously, Sue was a member of the Independent Future of Compute Review and co-chaired the National Data Strategy Forum. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries in 2020, Sue has been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and has been a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI, the UK Tech 50 and annual UK Cloud Awards. She is a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security.
Prior to joining techUK in January 2015, Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. Before that, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 020 7331 2055
- Twitter:
- @ChannelSwimSue
Visit our AI Hub - the home of all our AI content:
Enquire about membership: