- Expleo’s latest AI Pulse research suggests UK business leaders are applying tougher tests to AI hype cools
- Excitement about AI among UK business leaders fell from 70% in April to 65% in May
- Trust in organisations to use AI ethically fell from 76% in April to 69% in May
- Concern about AI cybersecurity risks rose from 55% in April to 57% in May
- Expleo AI Pulse combines confidence, excitement, trust and worry into a single UK AI sentiment score on a 0–100 scale
- Despite changes in individual measures, the overall UK AI Pulse score remained at 67 in both April and May, suggesting UK business leaders still see potential in AI but are more demanding about the value it delivers
New data from Expleo, the engineering, technology and consulting services provider, suggests UK business leaders are taking a more hard-headed view of AI as early hype fades, with levels of excitement and trust falling month-on-month while concern about cybersecurity risks continues to rise.
Expleo’s AI Pulse sentiment tracker indicates that, as the novelty around AI wears off, business leaders are starting to assess it against tougher standards. In May, excitement about the opportunities AI creates fell to 65%, down from 70% in April. Trust in organisations’ ability to use AI ethically also declined seven points month-on-month, falling to 69%. At the same time, 57% of UK business leaders said they are concerned about the cybersecurity risks AI poses to organisations, up from 55% in April.
The AI Pulse sentiment tracker combines levels of confidence, excitement, trust and worry around AI use in business into a single score. Despite movement across several underlying measures, the overall UK score remained unchanged at 67 in both April and May. This suggests that business leaders still see potential in AI, but are increasingly judging it on the practical value it delivers.
Jeff Hoyle, MD UK at Expleo, said: “AI is no longer benefiting from the novelty factor alone. Business leaders are now asking tougher questions about whether it can deliver real value, whether it can be trusted and whether the risks are properly understood.
“The shift in sentiment captured by the AI Pulse is a sign that the conversation is becoming more serious and nuanced. As hype cools, leaders are becoming more exacting about what they will accept as proof that AI is delivering before committing to investment. They want certainty that it will work at scale, that the right guardrails are in place, and that it is delivering quality results.”
The stable overall sentiment score of 67 suggests that UK businesses continue to see value in AI, even as they become more aware of the limits, risks and conditions attached to its use. Rather than signalling unchallenged confidence, the latest results point to a more sober phase in which AI is judged less on promise and more on whether it delivers practical, trustworthy outcomes.
Hoyle concluded: “Many organisations have already seen encouraging results from AI in specific teams or use cases. But the challenge now is whether those results can be repeated reliably, securely and at worthwhile scale.
“Early wins can create the impression that broader adoption will be straightforward. In practice, the organisations seeing the greatest value are usually those that stay focused on a small number of high-impact areas and put the right governance, security and skills in place to support them.”
For more information, visit expleo.com
