Half of businesses turn to AI for resilience boost
A survey of more than 1,000 decision makers across UK businesses has found that technology and AI are now related to almost half of all ‘resilience related’ investment in the UK. With almost nine-in-ten leaders saying they need to rethink their operational resilience, AI investment is now three-times as high as for supply chain or talent and training matters.
Perceptions of artificial intelligence are shifting among the leadership of British business. While for the longest time it has been discussed as a future prospect, many firms are now turning to it as a first line of defence. Amid an unending era of operational uncertainty, and regulatory scrutiny, new research from Elixirr has found 49% of all investment to boost resilience currently flows to technology and AI.
A survey commissioned by Elixirr and conducted by market research firm OnePoll , asked 1,000 UK business decision makers where their investment priorities lay. According to Elixirr, the reallocation of AI’s perception as ‘resilience related’ signals a fundamental change in how companies are safeguarding their operations, “not just automating tasks, but deploying intelligent systems to anticipate disruption, accelerate decision-making, and stay ahead of ever-tightening compliance demands.”
AI as an immediate answer
An overwhelming 87% of respondents told the researchers that they feel forced to rethink operational resilience, in response to regulatory pressures. Traditional staples of that include supply chain diversification (14%) or upskilling talent (13%) as key investment areas – but the amount now investing into AI and technology is more than triple that. This is because, for a growing number of organisations, AI has moved far beyond experimentation and the focus is now on evolution, the researchers argue.
A 25% portion of businesses now treat agentic AI – systems said to be able to execute on a goal and act autonomously – as a top strategic priority. Meanwhile, half are rapidly rolling out AI agents across multiple business functions, demonstrating that agentic AI has moved from a fringe experiment to mainstream business practice.
The research also spotlights sharp divides across sectors and business sizes. Science, technology, and research firms are leading the AI charge, with 36% making agentic AI a high focus, and 56% already expanding AI use across multiple business areas. In contrast, only 15% of retail businesses and 13% in education consider agentic AI a top priority. Larger enterprises are not only more likely to have dedicated or embedded AI teams, but also report higher rates of improved compliance, scalability and operational speed.
Adam Hofmann, principal, generative AI strategy and implementation at Elixirr, commented, “AI is redrawing the boundaries of what’s possible faster than most organisations can adapt. Real resilience in the age of AI isn’t built through one-off tools or pilots; it’s built by rethinking how your business operates. When people, processes, and technology are redesigned with AI at the core, organisations become more adaptable, more responsive and far better equipped to navigate the change ahead.”
Early wins and lingering doubts
Despite AI’s dominance, its ownership within organisations remains fractured. While 37% of firms place AI within IT or engineering, 29% of others turn to Centres of Excellence, 28% to hybrid models, or 27% to data teams; reflecting a lack of clear strategy and unified leadership. Meanwhile, 75% of firms still lack a unified AI strategy, leaving them exposed not only to slow adoption, but to inconsistent governance and missed opportunities for cross-functional impact as AI’s role becomes increasingly business-critical.
Where AI has taken hold with such a plan in place, early adopters are already pulling ahead, Elixirr said. A 43% chunk of leaders polled reported faster decision-making, 39% said they thought their firm had improved compliance, and 38% noted cost savings, among other benefits. However, the persistent fragmentation in AI ownership, combined with ongoing uncertainty around return on investment, means many more organisations are still struggling to unlock AI’s full potential and establish a consistent, organisation-wide approach.
Hofmann added, “AI has overtaken tradition as the backbone of resilience, yet too many firms remain stuck in a defensive mindset while others are rewriting the rules entirely. Playing it safe is now the biggest risk. The organisations making real progress are those that go beyond surface-level adoption, embedding AI deep into their operations, reimagining outdated processes, and building a culture that moves at the speed of technology.”
