UK IT departments most confident on AI future-readiness

UK IT professionals are the most confident in Europe about their departments' ability to meet rising cybersecurity demands and the spread of artificial intelligence, according to a survey of 6,000 European IT staff commissioned by TOPdesk.

The survey found that 45% of UK respondents believe their IT function is "fully future-proofed", compared with 43% in Switzerland, 40% in Austria, 37% in Germany and 35% in Belgium. It covered IT professionals working at firms with more than 25 employees.

Despite this relative optimism, the results point to a gap between interest in AI and the organisational change needed to make it effective. In the UK, almost half of respondents said AI has a central role in future readiness, yet far fewer described their organisation as mature in its use of the technology.

AI maturity gap

In the UK, 49% of respondents regard AI as a key element of future-proofing. They cited uses ranging from repetitive work such as ticket categorisation to more advanced tasks such as data analysis.

Only 36% said their organisation's use of AI is advanced or mature. In the survey, maturity means AI is embedded across the organisation, delivers measurable value and supports strategic objectives.

The gap between the 49% who see AI as central and the 36% who say it is embedded suggests many organisations are still at an early stage. They may be trialling tools in parts of IT operations rather than making broader process changes. The findings also suggest UK IT teams view AI as part of a wider readiness agenda, not a standalone deployment.

The study presents AI as one element of future preparedness alongside cybersecurity. It treats confidence as a measure of readiness for a near-term environment in which IT teams expect tougher security requirements and more automation in service management work.

Constraints remain

Skills and investment continue to limit progress. In the UK, 28% cited skills shortages as a primary barrier to future-proofing.

Another 27% pointed to a lack of investment, saying funding gaps are a main obstacle.

Integration remains a challenge. One in five UK respondents (20%) said they still cannot integrate AI approaches with business systems. This reflects a common IT service management issue, where automation can stall when data and workflows are split across multiple tools.

Overall, the findings suggest barriers to AI maturity go beyond choosing AI products. They point to fundamentals such as process design, internal coordination and technical integration as constraints.

Service management context

TOPdesk, which commissioned the survey, provides service management software used by IT service desks. Based in Delft, it has operated for more than 25 years and says it works with more than 5,000 organisations worldwide and employs 800 people.

In IT service management, AI is often used to classify and route tickets, support knowledge retrieval and automate routine workflows. These use cases typically aim to cut manual effort and speed up resolution times, but they depend on consistent data, clear ownership and reliable links between service desk systems and other business tools.

IT departments often face pressure to implement AI while maintaining service levels and meeting security requirements. The findings suggest UK IT teams feel comparatively well positioned, but still see gaps that can limit the value they gain from AI.

Hannah Salt, Head of Customer Enablement at TOPdesk, said the survey reflects growing confidence while highlighting the work still needed for wider AI adoption.

"It's great to see confidence in future-readiness is so high among UK IT departments and that AI is increasingly removing the more routine burdens for IT. But there is still a long way to go for most UK organisations and even where confidence is high, barriers remain to true future-readiness. UK organisations need to invest in strong processes, clear roles and close cooperation with other departments. Only when that foundation is in place can they benefit from the full advantages of AI."

TOPdesk argues that process discipline and cross-department coordination are prerequisites for AI maturity, alongside investment and skills development, as organisations expand AI beyond limited automation and into more embedded operational use.