Scottish workers adopting GenAI, but want training and guidance
A major new report from professional services firm Deloitte has found that most Scottish workers are now using GenAI at work, with those who have adopted it making clear productivity gains. However, while Scottish adoption and usage is broadly in line with the rest of the UK, a clear gap with London remains.
The findings come from Deloitte UK’s inaugural GenAI Workforce Survey, the largest study of workplace GenAI use conducted in a single country. Based on responses from 25,000 workers across the UK, collated between 7 May and 10 June 2026, the research reveals how employees are really using GenAI in their jobs and how organisations are responding. The survey will be repeated every six months to monitor how usage evolves as the technology becomes more widely adopted.
Adoption trails London, but Scotland is no outlier
Almost six in 10 Scottish workers (58%) have used a GenAI tool for work, compared with 76% in Greater London. Scotland sits slightly below the 61% average across the UK outside the capital, however. In Scotland, 36% of respondents said they use GenAI at least weekly (compared to 55% of those in London), while 21% said they used it at least daily (with London sitting at 37%).
Over seven in ten (71%) of Scottish GenAI users say that they use AI tools that they have permission to use. However. one in five Scottish (21%) said that they use tools at work without their employer’s knowledge, believing they would approve, while a further 9% do so believing they would not, indicating around three in ten don’t have explicit employer permission.
Sentiment is broadly positive across the country. Over a third (37%) said that they see their use of GenAI for work as a positive, against 23% that see it negatively. A quarter (26%) remain neutral.
A fifth (22%) of Scottish GenAI users said that their work is more enjoyable because they’re using it, against 8% that said it is less enjoyable. The majority, 63%, said that enjoyment levels remain the same.
Time saved, but not yet transformation
Just under half of Scottish GenAI users (49%) say the tools save them time. Of those, almost six in 10 (59%) save up to three hours a week and almost one in ten (9%) save more than 10 hours.
That time is coming from routine tasks rather than complex work. Scottish users most commonly turn to GenAI for looking up information (42%), writing or editing emails (41%), summarising documents (32%) and fact-checking (31%).
Almost three in ten (28%) of Scottish GenAI users said they complete ‘some’ of their work by using GenAI. A tenth (12%) said they complete ‘most of it’ by using the technology. However, 22% said that they complete ‘hardly any / none of it’ with GenAI.
Training: an opportunity to boost usage and impact
Fewer than three in ten Scottish employees (29%) have received formal GenAI training, against 47% in London and 33% across the UK. Where it has been given, it is valued, with eight in ten (81%) Scottish recipients rating it as helpful
A quarter (25%) of Scottish respondents said that training on how to evaluate/fact-check GenAI would be helpful. A fifth (20%) want more GenAI skills training at an advanced level, 21% would like more cybersecurity training specific to AI.
A third of Scottish employees (32%) said their employer has a GenAI policy, the same amount (32%) that said their employer does not, 36% do not know, or aren’t sure whether one exists.
A lack of trust remains in Scotland
More than half of Scottish workers (51%) are concerned about the misuse of personal data, a third (34%) cite bias or discrimination in AI outputs, and 26% worry that managers will overestimate what AI can achieve.
Additionally, nearly six in ten Scottish workers (56%) worry that essential workplace skills will suffer because of generative AI, slightly ahead of the UK figure of 55%.
Turning to leadership, 22% of workers say leaders at their organisation talk about GenAI and have a good understanding of it, while 29% say leaders do not talk about it at all.
Angela Mitchell, practice senior partner at Deloitte Scotland, said: “Scotland is embracing technological change, supported by a skilled workforce and world-class universities. Our survey points to where businesses can go further to better support their people in harnessing GenAI to deliver lasting productivity gains and economic growth.
“Adoption rates across Scotland are strong, and workers want to learn about the technology, and understand how to use it in a responsible and impactful way. Firms across the country have an opportunity to build genuine workforce capability that moves beyond providing access to tools and focuses instead on capability, confidence and trust. Doing so will enable employees to spend more of their time on the activities that create value for firms, customers and the wider economy.”
Nationally, the survey found that British workers are spending close to £1bn a year from their own pockets on GenAI tools they use for work, with Deloitte estimating annual personal spend at £958m.
One in six (17%) UK GenAI users pay for at least one tool themselves. In Scotland that figure is 14%, against 24% in London, while 46% of Scottish users rely on free tools.