Scottish Workers Adopting GenAI, But Want Training And Guidance

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A major new report from professional services firm Deloitte has found that most Scottish workers are now using GenAI at work, with those who have adopted it making clear productivity gains. However, while Scottish adoption and usage is broadly in line with the rest of the UK, a clear gap with London remains.

The findings come from Deloitte UK’s inaugural GenAI Workforce Survey, the largest study of workplace GenAI use conducted in a single country. Based on responses from 25,000 workers across the UK, collated between 7th May and 10th June 2026, the research reveals how employees are really using GenAI* in their jobs and how organisations are responding. The survey will be repeated every six months to monitor how usage evolves as the technology becomes more widely adopted.

Adoption trails London, but Scotland is no outlier

Almost six in 10 Scottish workers (58%) have used a GenAI tool for work, compared with 76% in Greater London. Scotland sits slightly below the 61% average across the UK outside the capital, however. In Scotland, 36% of respondents said they use GenAI at least weekly (compared to 55% of those in London), while 21% said they used it at least daily (with London sitting at 37%).

Over seven in ten (71%) of Scottish GenAI users say that they use AI tools that they have permission to use. However. one in five Scottish (21%) said that they use tools at work without their employer’s knowledge, believing they would approve, while a further 9% do so believing they would not, indicating around three in ten don’t have explicit employer permission.

Sentiment is broadly positive across the country. Over a third (37%) said that they see their use of GenAI for work as a positive, against 23% that see it negatively. A quarter (26%) remain neutral.

A fifth (22%) of Scottish GenAI users said that their work is more enjoyable because they’re using it, against 8% that said it is less enjoyable. The majority, 63%, said that enjoyment levels remain the same.

Time saved, but not yet transformation

Just under half of Scottish GenAI users (49%) say the tools save them time. Of those, almost six in 10 (59%) save up to three hours a week and almost one in ten (9%) save more than 10 hours.

That time is coming from routine tasks rather than complex work. Scottish users most commonly turn to GenAI for looking up information (42%), writing or editing emails (41%), summarising documents (32%) and fact-checking (31%).

Almost three in ten (28%) of Scottish GenAI users said they complete ‘some’ of their work by using GenAI. A tenth (12%) said they complete ‘most of it’ by using the technology. However, 22% said that they complete ‘hardly any / none of it’ with GenAI.

Training: an opportunity to boost usage and impact

Fewer than three in ten Scottish employees (29%) have received formal GenAI training, against 47% in London and 33% across the UK. Where it has been given, it is valued, with eight in ten (81%) Scottish recipients rating it as helpful.

A quarter (25%) of Scottish respondents said that training on how to evaluate/fact-check GenAI would be helpful. A fifth (20%) want more GenAI skills training at an advanced level, 21% would like more cybersecurity training specific to AI.

A third of Scottish employees (32%) said their employer has a GenAI policy, the same amount (32%) that said their employer does not, 36% do not know, or aren’t sure whether one exists.

A lack of trust remains in Scotland

More than half of Scottish workers (51%) are concerned about the misuse of personal data, a third (34%) cite bias or discrimination in AI outputs, and 26% worry that managers will overestimate what AI can achieve.

Additionally, nearly six in ten Scottish workers (56%) worry that essential workplace skills will suffer because of generative AI, slightly ahead of the UK figure of 55%.

Turning to leadership, 22% of workers say leaders at their organisation talk about GenAI and have a good understanding of it, while 29% say leaders do not talk about it at all.

Angela Mitchell, practice senior partner at Deloitte Scotland, said:

“Scotland is embracing technological change, supported by a skilled workforce and world-class universities. Our survey points to where businesses can go further to better support their people in harnessing GenAI to deliver lasting productivity gains and economic growth."

“Adoption rates across Scotland are strong, and workers want to learn about the technology, and understand how to use it in a responsible and impactful way. Firms across the country have an opportunity to build genuine workforce capability that moves beyond providing access to tools and focuses instead on capability, confidence and trust. Doing so will enable employees to spend more of their time on the activities that create value for firms, customers and the wider economy."

Nationally, the survey found that British workers are spending close to £1 billion a year from their own pockets on GenAI tools they use for work, with Deloitte estimating annual personal spend at £958 million.

One in six (17%) UK GenAI users pay for at least one tool themselves. In Scotland that figure is 14%, against 24% in London, while 46% of Scottish users rely on free tools.

*In this press release, GenAI refers to generative artificial intelligence: AI tools, including chatbots, that can generate content such as text, images, video and audio in response to user prompts.

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Jul 31, 2025

3 min read

Robert Whitaker and Vermento, the winners of the Al Shira’aa King George V Gold Cup in 2023, reclaimed the trophy during a thrilling final day of action at the Agria Royal International Horse Show.

His victory gave his family a third successive victory in this Grand Prix, with Robert’s cousin Donald having won last year’s class. It also made Robert the fourth rider in Hickstead history to win the Al Shira’aa Derby and the King George V Gold Cup in the same year. “It’s surreal,” said Robert. “To win both is very, very special.”

Robert was one of just four of the 46 starters to jump clear round Kelvin Bywater and Ben Townley’s challenging track, which caught out many of the sport’s leading names – including Olympic gold medallist Ben Maher, who had returned to the showground for the final day of the show after attending the wedding of his Paris 2024 team-mate Harry Charles and Eve Jobs.

Ireland’s Jordan Coyle was the first of the quartet to jump round the shortened course in the second round. Riding the 14-year-old Chaccolino, he finished in a time of 40.17sec, leaving his rivals very little breathing space.

Reigning champion Donald Whitaker was next into the International Arena. Last year he’d won the title on the grey mare Millfield Colette, but this year she was not at the show after being part of the silver medal-winning British team at last week’s FEI European Championships in Spain. This year he was riding the eye-catching stallion Di Caprio, and in the jump-off Donald looked to be in with a good chance of retaining the title – only for a stumble in the middle of the double to put paid to their chances.

Next in was Robert, once again riding Caroline and Stephen Blatchford’s 12-year-old black stallion Vermento, a son of Argento. They set off in determined fashion, crossing the finish in a time of 38.88sec to go into the lead. Only one rider could stop him from winning, and that was the 22-year-old United Arab Emirates rider Omar Al Marzooqi, making his first appearance at Hickstead’s five-star event.

In the end it went right to the wire, with the smallest of slips from the 10-year-old Enjoy De La Mure meaning the pair finished less than a second in arrears, in a time of 39.74sec, to give Robert the win.

Robert is now chasing his father John’s total of three King George V Gold Cup victories.

“My Dad gets quite emotional – he bred the horse as well, so the whole story is very special,” said Robert, who hails from Huddersfield but now lives in West Sussex. “It’s just been an amazing year for me and my owners – but the year is not over, and we’ve got to keep going!”

Robert and Vermento had originally been selected for the British squad in Friday’s Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain, but Robert opted not to compete for the team and just focus on the Grand Prix.

“I jumped at Aachen [last month], and it’s quite hard on the horses to jump both the Nations Cup and the Grand Prix. I was thinking of my horse a little bit – it’s good to have the horse to jump the five-star Grands Prix, and he’s the only one I’ve got for those big classes,” he explained. “He's had two days off since the qualifier, so he was very fresh, and jumped incredibly.”

Hickstead Director Edward Bunn thanked Al Shira’aa, who now sponsor two of Hickstead’s biggest classes.

“We cannot thank Al Shira’aa enough for what they’ve done for Hickstead. With Omar on the podium and two UAE horses in the top six, it just shows they’re becoming a serious force to be reckoned with, so congratulations to them, and thank you for their support of this world-class event,” he said.

Earlier this morning, Kent rider Pippa Goddard won the Breen Equestrian CSIYH1 Final with PDV Constanza. Nine combinations went through to the jump-off, with Pippa stopping the clock on 36.01sec – nearly 2.5sec seconds faster than second-placed Holly Smith and Nike van het Singraven.

“She’s really brave, she’s super careful, and she wants to do it, so she tries really hard,” said Pippa. “But she also has her own mind, and you have to go with her rather than interfering and telling her what to do. At home, we don’t do much with her – we hack her out a lot, and she goes in the field. It’s all about keeping her as happy as possible.”

The Agria Royal International Horse Show drew to a close. The next competition to take place at Hickstead is the Al Shira’aa British Young Horse Championships (14-17 August), when admission and parking is free of charge to spectators.

Photo: Robert Whitaker and Vermento, winners of today’s Al Shira'aa King George V Gold Cup at Hickstead (c) Boots and Hooves Photography

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