AI-first ambitions tested by infrastructure and skills gaps
UK entrepreneurs are enthusiastically embracing AI as a driver of growth, efficiency, and competitiveness, with many now seeing AI as essential to staying ahead, and 70% warning that companies which do not adopt AI risk being outcompeted within five years.
Recent research from e-Residency shows that founders are rapidly building AI into the core of their products and operations, and are calling for stronger digital trust, clearer rules, and better access to AI safety and cybersecurity expertise in order to help them deliver this transformation responsibly.
Startup leaders are warning that broad initiatives, like the UK Government’s pledge to give AI skills training to 30 million people, are not yet translating into the specialised capabilities they need to build and scale AI-first businesses. 89% of founders say skills shortages at home have limited growth, with 29% reporting a critical impact over the past year.
Digital trust is fast becoming the passport for global business, and is increasingly shaping where UK founders feel confident scaling. UK founders are gravitating towards markets that combine strong reputation with the reliable, AI-ready digital infrastructure that lets them show up for customers.
Liina Vahtras, Managing Director at e-Residency, said: “UK founders are asking for the right foundations to realise their AI potential. Without that, the UK risks seeing its most ambitious startups build and base their companies elsewhere.”
85% of UK founders say digital trust will decide which startups will succeed globally, and 85% view reliable digital infrastructure as vital as physical infrastructure for business continuity.
These stats are grounded in lived experience, as in the past year, 73% of founders faced at least one challenge linked to online risk or misinformation. More than a quarter (26%) say AI-generated fakes or profiles have already damaged trust in their sector.
Businesses now spend an average of 16% of operational costs on digital trust and security in order to protect their reputation and compliance in a world where most new startups will be AI-first by 2030. For UK entrepreneurs, trust is a survival metric. More than four in five founders want governments to take a stronger role in digital resilience.
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