AI Marketing Statistics Businesses Need to Know in 2026

Written by Luke Glassford

February 27, 2026

AI has moved from “interesting” to “everyday” faster than most business trends. Your customers are using it to research, compare and draft, while your staff are likely using it to write, plan and problem-solve (whether you’ve formalised its use or not).

The question for SMEs in 2026 isn’t “should we use AI?” It’s “where do we apply it first, how do we keep quality high, and how do we reduce risk while we move faster?”

Below, we pull together the most useful UK usage stats and the clearest AI marketing trends, with practical takeaways you can act on.

AI usage in the UK in 2026
Who’s using AI and how often
AI at work and productivity
AI marketing and go-to-market trends
Key takeaways for SMEs

AI usage in the UK in 2026

Scale: 22.5m people used AI tools on websites and apps in October 2025. (IAB UK / UKOM Ipsos iris)
Momentum: +1.46m new AI users in the last month (September to October 2025). (IAB UK / UKOM Ipsos iris)
Market leader effect: 84% of total time spent on AI tools went to ChatGPT. (IAB UK / UKOM Ipsos iris)

What it means for your business

AI tool usage is now big enough to affect how people search for services, gather information and make decisions. The other big signal is concentration. When one tool dominates, it shapes expectations around speed and output. That flows through to the content and service experiences customers expect from businesses.

A note on what these stats include

These figures refer to “AI tools” as defined by Ipsos iris (AI websites and apps in the AI category). They do not include AI embedded inside other products, such as Google Search or WhatsApp, and they did not (at the time) include some standalone apps such as Gemini and Copilot on iOS.

In practice, this means total AI exposure across the UK is likely higher than this category alone suggests. (IAB UK methodology notes)

Who’s using AI and how often

Highest usage: 67% of 15-24s used AI tools in September 2025. (IAB UK / UKOM Ipsos iris)
Daily habit: 24% of 15-24s used AI tools every day in September 2025. (IAB UK / UKOM Ipsos iris)
Growth is spreading: over the last six months, growth was largely driven by the 35-54 age group (+49%). (IAB UK commentary)

What it means for your business

Younger audiences have already turned AI into a habit. More interesting for most SMEs is what’s happening beyond Gen Z.

Growth in 35–54s signals that AI is increasingly part of “normal” working and buying behaviour, not just experimentation.

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AI at work and productivity

Workday usage: 44% of time spent on AI tools occurred during work hours (9:00-17:29) in August 2025. (IAB UK / Ipsos iris)
Top use cases at work: generating ideas (44%), looking up information (41%), creating written content (39%). (IAB UK)
Perceived productivity: 74% of those who used GenAI at work said it boosted their productivity a fair amount or a great deal. (Deloitte Digital Consumer Trends UK 2024, referenced by IAB UK)
The adoption gap: only 27% said their employer encouraged them to use GenAI. (Deloitte Digital Consumer Trends UK 2024, referenced by IAB UK)

What it means for your business

People are already using AI during the working day, and most who use it feel it helps. But many businesses still haven’t put structure around it. That’s an opportunity for SMEs, because basic guardrails and a few defined workflows often create a noticeable jump in output quality and speed.

AI marketing and go-to-market trends

Investment intent: 92% of businesses plan to invest in generative AI within the next three years, while only 1% of businesses that have adopted GenAI believe their investment has reached maturity. (Digital Marketing Institute citing McKinsey)

How marketing teams are using AI

51% use AI tools to optimise content for email and SEO. (Digital Marketing Institute citing SurveyMonkey)
50% create content using AI to complement their efforts. (Digital Marketing Institute citing SurveyMonkey)
45% use AI to brainstorm content concepts and ideas. (Digital Marketing Institute citing SurveyMonkey)
43% automate repetitive tasks and processes using AI software. (Digital Marketing Institute citing SurveyMonkey)
73% say AI plays a key role in crafting personalised customer experience. (Digital Marketing Institute citing SurveyMonkey)

What’s getting in the way

31% of marketers are concerned about the accuracy or quality of AI tools. (Digital Marketing Institute citing SurveyMonkey)
39% avoid GenAI tools because they don’t know how to use them safely. (Digital Marketing Institute citing Salesforce)
70% of marketing professionals say their employer doesn’t provide AI training. (Digital Marketing Institute citing Salesforce)

What it means for your business

Most teams are still learning how to use AI well. The winners aren’t the ones generating the most content - they’re the ones improving quality, iteration speed and personalisation without letting standards slip.

Key takeaways for SMEs

1. Start with specific workflows, not a pile of tools

Pick repeatable tasks with clear “before and after” metrics. Good starters are first-draft content, content repurposing, meeting notes into actions, customer support triage and proposal/outreach drafting.

2. Build a simple human review step into anything customer-facing

AI drafts fast, but it can be wrong, generic, or off-brand. Adding a review step protects credibility and reduces rework.

3. Put lightweight rules in writing.

Approved tools, what data never goes into prompts, and what must be checked before publishing. That’s usually enough to move quickly without creating unnecessary risk.

4. Use AI to sharpen distribution and performance, not just output.

Optimise existing pages, test variations, improve follow-ups, and tighten your offer messaging. That’s where the compounding gains show up.

5. Train the team for confidence, not perfection.

A short internal session and a shared prompt library often beats ad-hoc usage. It also reduces the “I don’t know how to use this safely” blocker that’s holding many teams back.