UK CFO’s AI optimism jumps to 73% as geopolitical concerns ease

Most UK CFOs are now betting on artificial intelligence to level up their business performance. According to a Deloitte survey, executive confidence in AI-driven performance has steadily climbed over the last two years. Less than 40% were optimistic about AI in 2024, compared with 73% today. 

Deloitte’s findings are based on a relatively small sample of 58 CFOs surveyed in early July 2026. Nonetheless, they carry significant weight as they reflect the UK’s premier corporate enterprises.

According to the survey, AI is no longer regarded only as a productivity tool but as a strategic investment to drive long-term growth, operational efficiency and competitiveness. Finance leaders are more comfortable backing technology spending with continued economic uncertainty.

The improvement in AI sentiment is also accompanied by a mild improvement in concerns over geopolitical risks that had dominated boardroom discussions earlier this year.

In Deloitte’s first-quarter survey, geopolitical concerns– including Middle Eastern conflicts, rising energy prices and trade uncertainty– had driven CFO confidence to a six-year low. The result indicates the concerns are less of a concern and managers are now focused on growing their businesses.

The growing confidence reflects a broader trend among UK businesses. Companies are expanding AI deployments beyond customer service and administrative tasks into finance, software development, risk management and decision-making. Many executives now see AI as a means of boosting productivity while improving profitability in an increasingly competitive business environment.

AI optimism hits 73%

In 2024, companies were still coming to terms with the surge of interest in AI. Thus, Initial market curiosity yielded a modest 39% optimism rate in 2024. Confidence later climbed to 59% by the end of 2025 as AI deployments matured, laying the groundwork for today’s 73% optimism rate as organizations continue to unlock productivity and efficiency gains. 

Overall, most of the companies surveyed are looking to invest more in tech, not just AI. About 96% of CFOs surveyed expect their organizations to ramp up digital spending over the next five years. 

Deloitte’s survey also showed external macro risks have softened, with the geopolitical concern index dropping 11 points to 68. Fears over sluggish UK productivity and a lack of economic competitiveness shifted slightly, locking in at 63. Meanwhile, the share of respondents worried about higher energy costs or interruptions to energy services dropped to 60% from 70% in the first quarter of 2026. 

Speaking on the survey, Deloitte UK Chief Economist Debapratim De commented,

“The global economy has so far weathered the shock from the conflict in Iran better than many had feared. However, concerns over geopolitics and domestic competitiveness remain elevated. CFOs continue to ⁠prioritize cost reduction and cash control in this environment.”

UK government was pushing for AI development and expansion

Before Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned, the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology reported that the country’s AI sector had secured more than £100 billion ($134 billion) in private investment since the government took office. It further stated that the industry was growing 23 times faster than the wider economy last year and providing “the jobs and opportunities hardworking people deserve.”

Similarly, last year, former Prime Minister Keir Starmer championed AI as a major economic driver, saying its full adoption could generate £47 billion, about $67 billion, a year for the UK economy. He asserted that he intended to make Britain a global leader in the industry.

Moreover, he contended that the Labour Party wanted to expand AI computing power under public control by a factor of 20 by 2030. Plus, deploy the technology to tackle daily tasks ranging from pothole detection to reducing teachers’ administrative workload.

At the time, however, skeptics warned that without stronger safeguards, the gains could end up in the hands of US firms and their investors.

“These are phantom investments,” said Cecilia Rikap, a professor of economics at University College London, who said similar things were happening around the world. Big tech companies artificially inflate datacentres’ job creation and economic impact to please governments like the British one, which are desperate to claim they are making the economy grow.”

For the last few years, the UK government has been relying on Nvidia and CoreWeave for its AI expansion plans. More recently, CoreWeave stated, “Our investments are designed to expand compute capacity and enable AI adoption and innovation across enterprises, research institutions, the public sector, and startups. We are delivering advanced, purpose-built AI infrastructure to support the development of AI at scale.”

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