Deloitte Survey: One in Six UK Workers Pays for AI Tools, Spending Nearly £1 Billion a Year

A new Deloitte survey shows that one in six UK workers pays out of their own pocket for AI tools to help with their jobs, spending nearly £1 billion a year in total. The study, conducted by Ipsos for Deloitte, surveyed 25,000 workers.

Two-thirds of employees have tried AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, and nearly a quarter use them daily. About 31% use generative AI without their employer knowing, known as "shadow AI," while 17% pay for at least one AI subscription for work.

Hayley McKelvey, Deloitte UK's chief AI officer, said UK workers are clear they won't wait for approval before using generative AI. Many already use free versions or pay for premium upgrades. Main uses include searching for information, writing emails, and summarizing content, saving users an average of 70 minutes a week.

Paul Lee, a Deloitte partner, said generative AI has quickly become part of daily work, but most employees still use it for basic tasks. Companies that guide staff to use AI with clear goals and proper guardrails will gain the biggest advantage.