UK marketing leads AI adoption, legal sector hesitant

According to the latest findings from the Freshworks AI Workplace report, marketing teams in the United Kingdom are most confident about adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, while legal professionals remain the most sceptical.

The report outlines a clear divergence in attitudes towards AI based on professional sector, highlighting a spectrum of readiness for integrating AI technology in daily business practices.

According to the Freshworks data, only 2% of marketing professionals are resistant to using AI to delegate daily tasks. This suggests a strong willingness within the marketing sector to embrace AI as a means of streamlining both creative and strategic functions.

In contrast, legal professionals display the highest level of scepticism regarding AI, with 19% indicating an unwillingness to delegate any tasks to the technology. This makes legal teams the most cautious group in the study, reflecting ongoing concerns around automation, compliance, and the sensitive nature of legal work.

The customer service sector follows closely, with 18% of employees expressing reluctance to use AI in their roles. This indicates that a significant proportion of customer service professionals remain wary of delegating tasks to AI systems, potentially due to concerns about maintaining service quality and personal touch.

Meanwhile, resistance is somewhat lower in accounting and finance, with 13% of professionals hesitant to incorporate AI-driven processes. Freshworks' findings suggest that while there is still some reluctance, these sectors are more receptive to the benefits AI may bring to data-heavy and repetitive tasks.

Human resources professionals demonstrate a greater openness to AI integration, with only 9% showing discomfort at the prospect. This points to a growing acceptance of AI tools in tasks such as recruitment and talent management.

Sales departments display even lower resistance, with only 6% of staff against using AI in their work. The report highlights that sales professionals may be more comfortable leveraging AI to enhance customer engagement and streamline sales processes.

The IT sector, frequently at the forefront of new technology adoption, demonstrates notable readiness. Just 4% of employees are unwilling to allow AI to handle portions of their workload.

"The findings from Freshworks' report reveal the varying degrees of AI acceptance and adoption across different work departments in the UK. While some sectors, like IT and marketing, show a high level of readiness for AI integration, others, such as legal and customer service, remain more hesitant," the Freshworks report stated.

The data underscores the necessity for organisations to tailor their AI adoption strategies to each department's specific needs and concerns.

"As the AI landscape continues to evolve, forward-thinking organisations must take a tailored, human-first approach to adoption – balancing innovation with empathy, and capability with caution," the report authors emphasise.