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Brand new research

How adoption, funding and inclusion are defining the UK’s AI future

The AI race is on… but is everyone at the starting line?

AI is transforming the UK tech landscape, but progress isn’t equal. As innovation accelerates, ensuring that opportunity, investment, and inclusion keep pace will define who truly benefits from the next wave of technology.

Conducted in partnership with Tech Funding News (TFN) and Liberty Comms, this new research brings together the views of 200 UK tech leaders — from established enterprises to fast-growth startups and the investors backing them.

Keep scrolling to discover more about the research, including access to the full data.

Read the report

“This data shows that many founders from underrepresented groups still feel shut out of funding opportunities. If we want to change this, we need greater transparency around how funding decisions are made and more accessible networks so that opportunities don’t stay concentrated in the same circles.

Akansha Dimri

Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Tech Funding News (TFN)

“It was fantastic to partner with the Vanson Bourne and Tech Funding News teams to work on a project exploring the impact of AI in the UK tech industry from a number of new perspectives. As the findings show, there’s no shortage of AI hype, but the money is going to the teams that can demonstrate early results. This is why clear, jargon-less, data-backed storytelling is fast becoming a startup’s strongest asset.

Elena Davidson

CEO, Liberty Comms

“As our findings show, smaller high-growth businesses are at risk of replicating the same inequities we’ve seen for years. Support is needed early, from mentoring to investment, to help founders build inclusive companies from the ground up.

Lauren Woodley

Senior Research Manager

Research launch: Live from London

We unveiled the research in partnership with TFN and Liberty Comms at an exclusive London event, bringing together VCs, founders, and tech leaders to discuss how to build a more inclusive AI future.

Lauren Budd, Senior Research Manager at Vanson Bourne, shared the headline findings, joined by Elena Davidson, CEO of Liberty Comms. A lively panel debate followed, hosted by Akansha Dimri, Founder and Editor-in-Chief at TFN, highlighting the opportunities and challenges shaping the UK’s AI landscape.

Check out TFN’s wrap-up from the event below:

Watch the video