KPMG’s latest Global AI Pulse report finds that as UK businesses move AI into everyday work, leaders are under increasing pressure to demonstrate value, with cost visibility emerging as a key barrier to scaling AI effectively.
The quarterly global found that over a quarter (26%) of UK companies now use AI as part of everyday work, up from 18% in Q1 2026. But as organisations expand their use of AI tools and agentic systems, managing usage costs is becoming both more complex and more critical to realising value.
Many organisations still lack a clear view of how spending accumulates. Almost a third of UK leaders (30%) struggle with usage-based costs, while 42% have only partial visibility into AI spending. One-third of leaders (33%) cite limited understanding of AI cost structures, including tokens, as a challenge to deploying AI agents.
The findings suggest that while adoption continues to accelerate, the next phase of AI will be defined less by experimentation and more by whether organisations can turn AI investment into measurable business outcomes.
Dr Leanne Allen, Head of AI at KPMG UK (pictured), said: “AI is moving rapidly into everyday work, but scaling it responsibly brings a new set of challenges. Leaders now need to show not just that AI can be deployed, but that it can be trusted, financially controlled and clearly linked to value.”
