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Rise of the robo-advisor: UK leaders overwhelmingly turning to AI for business mentorship in the absence of human mentors

LONDON, UK—2 June 2025

Four out of five (80%) business leaders have used GenAI as a business mentor at least once, and a quarter (26%) use it for mentorship on a daily basis. This is according to new findings from The Adaptavist Group, a collection of diverse technology companies making businesses work better.
The research is timely as leaders flock to London for SxSW London this week, and was based on a poll of 300 business leaders in the UK. It also revealed that a significant 90% of business leaders believe there is a mentorship gap in the UK, driving swathes to turn to AI for support. However, despite business leaders' increasing reliance on GenAI tools, the vast majority lack training, and the study uncovers an enormous appetite for greater guidance on leveraging the technology.
The research shows that business leaders are now using AI more frequently than a human for mentorship. In fact, just 16% turn to a person for business advice on a daily basis, which came in at 10% less than those who use GenAI. Reflecting on the human element, a third (32%) said they had only received human mentorship once or twice in total, and a further 26% said they had only received such mentorship a handful of times (three or more).
Beyond the interpersonal implications of these findings, AI is also having an overwhelmingly positive impact on business success. According to respondents, 59% said AI has improved operations, and 35% said it has already helped their business to grow. Looking forward, 62% still see AI as a worthwhile investment, and a significant 82% said it will help them to further accelerate business growth.

Despite its popularity, AI confidence is low

Despite the widespread popularity of GenAI use amongst business leaders, a vast majority are still not confident they know how to use it most effectively. Nearly half (47%) of UK business leaders admit that they have taught themselves how to use GenAI but are not confident in their skills.
There is also a clear opportunity to improve AI training in the UK: 70% revealed they have had no training on how to use GenAI tools (all their experience is self-taught), and a significant 89% would like more training to get the most out of AI.
The widespread adoption of GenAI, and the assumption that everyone should already know how to use it, can be a source of embarrassment too; in fact, 38% of people said they would feel embarrassed to admit they don't know how to use it.

The challenges that remain

While 62% of business leaders use GenAI once a day or more, some barriers to adoption remain. Interestingly, one in four (23%) of respondents cited moral objections, and one in five (20%) said 'environmental concerns' were their biggest concerns for adoption.
'Security concerns' came out as the biggest barrier to GenAI adoption, as cited by 56% of respondents. This is perhaps unsurprising, considering ongoing reports of hallucinations, data harvesting and inaccuracies.
One third of respondents also identified 'costs' as their biggest challenge, whereas 27% said that lack of understanding still holds them back.
Simon Haighton-Williams, CEO at The Adaptavist Group commented: "Evidently, leaders are turning to AI en masse to fill crucial functions, particularly where human mentorship is lacking. But many are doing so without full confidence in their knowledge or without the support to be sure they are leveraging AI effectively.
"Keir Starmer recently said we must 'mainline AI into the UK's veins', but that ambition demands more than investment in technology - it requires investment in people on every rung of the business leadership ladder. This will support safe, responsible and ethical AI adoption amongst businesses in the UK."
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Notes to editors
Research conducted by Attest on behalf of The Adaptavist Group in February 2025. The research surveyed 300 UK business leaders.

About The Adaptavist Group
The Adaptavist Group is a collection of diverse companies with one common goal: to make business work better. We combine the best talent, technology, and processes to make it easier for our customers to excel–today and tomorrow.
We are experts at delivering innovative software, tailored solutions, and quality services across some of the world’s most trusted technology ecosystems, including Atlassian, AWS, monday.com, GitLab, and many more.
The Adaptavist Group exists to support clients’ day-to-day workflows, business transformation, and high-growth strategies. We offer a comprehensive but always evolving range of services across five key practices: agile, DevOps, work management, ITSM, and cloud. Our depth of knowledge across these practices unites us in our mission to help businesses embrace continuous transformation and make it their competitive advantage.
Media contact: press@adaptavist.com