Deloitte study finds productivity gains, but significant gap with London remains.
A new report from professional services firm Deloitte UK, its inaugural GenAI Workforce Survey, has found that most Scottish workers are now using GenAI at work. The study, based on responses from 25,000 workers across the UK between May 7 and June 10, 2026, reveals that those who have adopted GenAI are making productivity gains, although Scottish adoption and usage trails London.
Almost six in 10 Scottish workers (58%) have used a GenAI tool for work, compared with 76% in Greater London.
Scotland’s rate is slightly below the 61% average for the UK outside the capital. In Scotland, 36% of respondents reported using GenAI at least weekly, and 21% used it daily, contrasting with London’s 55% weekly and 37% daily figures.
Over seven in ten (71%) Scottish GenAI users indicate they use AI tools with explicit permission. However, one in five Scottish workers (21%) use tools without their employer’s knowledge, believing approval would be granted, while a further 9% do so believing it would not, suggesting around three in ten lack explicit employer permission.
Sentiment regarding GenAI is broadly positive in Scotland, with 37% viewing their use as positive, 23% negatively, and 26% remaining neutral.
Just under half of Scottish GenAI users (49%) report that these tools save them time. Of those, almost six in 10 (59%) save up to three hours weekly, and nearly one in ten (9%) save more than 10 hours. This saved time is primarily associated with routine tasks, as Scottish users most commonly use GenAI for looking up information (42%), writing or editing emails (41%), summarising documents (32%), and fact-checking (31%).
Fewer than three in ten Scottish employees (29%) have received formal GenAI training, which is less than the 47% in London and 33% across the UK. Where training has been provided, it is valued, with 81% of Scottish recipients rating it as helpful. A quarter (25%) of Scottish respondents expressed a desire for training on how to evaluate or fact-check GenAI, 20% sought more advanced GenAI skills training, and 21% requested more cybersecurity training specific to AI. A third of Scottish employees (32%) stated their employer has a GenAI policy.
A lack of trust persists in Scotland, with more than half of workers (51%) concerned about the misuse of personal data.
Additionally, 34% cite bias or discrimination in AI outputs, and 26% worry that managers will overestimate what AI can achieve. Nearly six in ten Scottish workers (56%) are concerned that essential workplace skills will suffer due to generative AI. Regarding leadership, 22% of workers believe leaders at their organisation discuss GenAI and understand it well, while 29% report that leaders do not discuss it at all.
Angela Mitchell, practice senior partner at Deloitte Scotland, stated: “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, British workers are estimated to spend close to £1 billion a year, specifically £958 million, from their own money on GenAI tools they use for work. In Scotland, 14% of GenAI users pay for at least one tool themselves, compared to 24% in London, with 46% of Scottish users relying on free tools.
