Britain risks failing to translate its strength in artificial intelligence research into higher productivity unless businesses accelerate adoption of the technology, according to a report from the CBI and consultancy Oliver Wyman.

The report calls on the government to make the next 10 years an "Adoption Decade", arguing that the UK's challenge is shifting from developing AI technologies to successfully deploying them across businesses and the wider economy.

The warning echoes government research showing that only about one in six UK businesses was using AI as of mid-2025. Ministers have set an ambition for Britain to become the fastest adopter of AI in the G7, identifying greater use of the technology as an important route to improving productivity.

The CBI and Oliver Wyman identified an emerging "execution divide" between organisations successfully deploying AI and those struggling to move beyond pilot projects. Research cited in the report found 49 per cent of leading adopters were meeting or exceeding their expected returns on AI investment, compared with 15 per cent of laggards.

The business group is calling for a temporary ministerially sponsored AI adoption delivery group and a voluntary code governing responsible adoption. It also wants greater investment in workforce skills and simpler guidance to help companies navigate AI regulation.

The recommendations come as the government increases its own support for adoption. In June, ministers announced more than £200mn for programmes helping businesses and workers use AI, including £100mn to expand the BridgeAI programme connecting companies with AI technologies. The government is also working with industry to provide AI skills to 10mn workers by 2030.

More than 1.7mn AI training courses had been delivered under the government's skills initiative by April.

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI chief executive, said Britain's competitive position would increasingly depend on deployment rather than technological invention.

"The next chapter of AI won't just be defined by what we invent, but by how quickly we can put it to work at scale," she said. "Britain now needs to treat AI adoption as a national economic priority."

AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the government was committed to making the UK the leading AI adopter in the G7, adding that broader adoption was necessary to create "better jobs and drive good growth in every postcode".