UK industries unite to accelerate AI adoption
techUK has brought together trade associations from across the eight Industrial Strategy sectors to form a new coalition with a shared purpose: to drive meaningful and responsible AI adoption across the UK economy.
Joining techUK in this effort are the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), ADS, Creative UK, Energy UK, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Make UK, and TheCityUK. Together these associations speak for some of the most significant parts of the UK economy, and they are uniting at a moment when growth depends on businesses moving faster and with greater confidence on AI.
The coalition is a direct response to the Chancellor's ambition for the UK to become the G7's fastest AI adopter. It has been designed to support delivery of the sectoral AI Adoption Plans announced at the AI Adoption Summit, and to keep that momentum going well beyond it.
Through joint events and shared activities, the coalition will bring sectors together to learn from one another, to understand what is genuinely working in practice, to tackle the barriers that no single sector can solve alone, and to create a single voice for the economy as a whole on how the UK can deliver responsible AI adoption.
The coalition's aims
The coalition is built around three core aims.
The first is to share knowledge and good practice. By pooling insights, case studies and lessons from across sectors, the coalition will help build business confidence and accelerate the uptake of AI technologies.
The second is to surface common barriers and find solutions. The coalition will develop practical, scalable answers to the blockers that must be solved across sectors, while also spotlighting the sector specific issues that need fixing.
The third is to engage Government and support delivery. The coalition will work alongside policymakers to support the delivery of the sectoral AI Adoption Plans, and to identify the additional levers that can drive adoption and remove the barriers to uptake.
The productivity dividend Government is seeking to achieve will only be realised if UK businesses move faster on meaningful adoption. This coalition has been created to build that confidence, to collaborate on practical solutions, and to bring people together to share and learn.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:
AI is central to driving growth, productivity, and better jobs across the UK – but we can only realise its full potential if businesses in every sector have the confidence to adopt it.
Industry coming together through techUK’s initiative to share best practice, tackle barriers and accelerate uptake across the economy is exactly the kind of action that’s needed for us to achieve our ambitions.
A word from techUK
Julian David OBE, CEO of techUK, said:
The UK's AI opportunity is real, but it will only be seized if businesses across every sector move with confidence and purpose. That's exactly what this coalition is designed to deliver. By bringing together trade associations from across the Industrial Strategy sectors, we can pool our knowledge, tackle the barriers that no single sector can solve alone, and speak with one voice on what Government and industry must do together to make the UK the G7's fastest AI adopter. We are proud to help convene this effort and the time for action is now.
What our partners are saying
Richard Torbett, Chief Executive, The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI):
The pharmaceutical sector is among the UK's most R&D-intensive industries, and it has long been forward-leaning in adopting AI to aid the discovery of cutting-edge medicines and vaccines. To support the UK in becoming a truly leading AI-enabled life sciences economy, we must ensure we better harness the UK's existing and potential public sector data assets, and ensure we remain at the forefront of safe, effective and enabling regulatory approaches to unlock its full potential for medical research.
Strong safeguards and maintaining public trust will be essential for progress, as will wider cooperation between government, the NHS, regulators, and other public-sector-dependent industries. We look forward to working in this coalition to make sure the UK is a leader in responsible AI adoption.
Kevin Craven, CEO, ADS Group:
ADS is pleased to be part of the AI Adoption Coalition, working with industry partners and government to drive coordinated, practical adoption of AI. Across aerospace, defence, security and space, our focus is on turning ambition into delivery, sharing insights and leading practice across our industries. We will continue to support our members to adopt AI in ways that are secure, responsible and commercially viable.
Emily Cloke, CEO, Creative UK:
Creative UK is pleased to be part of the AI Adoption Coalition, working with partners to support the government's ambition to lead in responsible AI adoption. Across the cultural and creative industries, businesses are already using AI and emerging technologies to innovate, grow and compete globally. But many continue to face barriers around access to finance, digital skills, and regulatory uncertainty. These challenges must be addressed to enable adoption at scale.
Collaboration across sectors is essential to share insight, align on practical solutions, and ensure policy reflects real-world business needs. It is also critical that our sector's voice is clearly represented, particularly on issues such as copyright. We look forward to working with coalition partners to help ensure the UK's approach to AI adoption is both ambitious and fair.
Dhara Vyas, Chief Executive, Energy UK:
AI is already transforming the energy sector and helping households, communities, and businesses get better outcomes while building a smarter, lower-cost digital energy system. From directing support to the customers who need it most and improving the service they receive to optimising the grid itself, the results are real and growing.
Alan Vallance, Chief Executive, The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW):
We are delighted to join this coalition at a pivotal moment, as organisations shift from AI experimentation to large-scale adoption. Unlocking the full value of AI will depend not just on technology, but on investment, skills, and strong governance rooted in professional standards. We are focused on enabling our members to lead the practical adoption of AI so they can apply it with confidence and integrity. By working collaboratively across sectors, we can accelerate learning and help position the UK at the forefront of trusted AI innovation.
Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive, Make UK:
Bringing sectors together through a strong coalition on AI adoption is exactly the kind of joined-up approach the UK needs if it is serious about driving growth and productivity. By sharing what works, tackling common barriers and focusing on practical implementation, this coalition can help businesses adopt AI with greater confidence and at greater pace. For manufacturing in particular, the opportunity is significant. As a highly data-rich sector, AI already is and has the potential to unlock major gains in productivity, competitiveness and sustainability across the sector, but real progress will depend on ensuring businesses have the support they need to adopt these technologies at scale.
Get involved
This coalition is just getting started, and there will be plenty of opportunities for members to get involved as the programme of events and activities takes shape over the coming months. If you would like to find out more about the AI Adoption Coalition or how your organisation can take part, please get in touch with the techUK team.
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.
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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.
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