UK bosses rely on AI to call the shots

UK business leaders are increasingly relying on AI to make key decisions, with six in 10 bosses saying they use AI to make the majority of their decisions. This is according to new research from Confluent.

The ‘Quick Thinking 2026’ report, based on a survey of 200 UK CEOs, MDs, and C-level executives, examines how UK leaders are using data and AI to support the decision making process, and the impact it is having on the workplace.

The majority (92%) of business leaders have said that the speed of making decisions has increased over the last three years, compared to 83% just a year ago. However, with this pace of change, 60% of leaders feel they have less time to make decisions, as expectations are rising. 59% of leaders believe that their colleagues’ use of AI has increased expectation for fast decisions, raising the bar for them to keep pace with what the technology can deliver.

It seems as though speed is consistently outweighing effectiveness in the decision making process, which is leaving organisations exposed to missed opportunities, and short-sighted choices.

Commenting on the findings, Richard Jones, VP Northern Europe, Confluent, said: “It’s easy to see why so many UK leaders are leaning on AI when making high-pressure decisions. When the stakes are high, AI can feel like a neutral voice that processes information quickly and offers clear recommendations.”

Relying on gut feeling

With the speed businesses are moving, the two main ways leaders are making decisions is either with reliance on AI, or gut feelings, neither of which lay in up-to-date data, causing blind spots in the process.

With leaders feeling under pressure to keep up with the speed of technology to make decisions, 59% admitted to frequently relying on a gut feeling to guide their decision making process. Instead of being a fallback, it is now one of the main factors of decision-making in modern leadership, becoming its own type of data source. Six in 10 leaders admit that data is too difficult to access, and 62% have admitted that they feel there isn’t time to analyse all available data before having to make a decision. This doesn’t help when 71% reported that they believe that data is often out of date by the time it reaches them, meaning they cannot capitalise on trends and insights in the moment they’re relevant.

The world is full of information and data, yet leaders are still finding themselves making critical decisions without the insights they need. This means that effective decision making is taking a nosedive, relying instead on one person’s gut feeling, rather than concrete data that can tell a story.

AI moves from assistant to advisor

AI has taken a front seat in business. It’s easing some of the pressures of decision-making, which has created a new source of confidence for leaders. Its role as an advisor is evident, with 62% of executives using AI to make the majority of decisions, and only 18% admitting to not using it at all.

This reliance has spilled over into shaping the workforce, with nearly four in five (79%) admitting to trusting AI to support them in making complex decisions, one in four are already using it for people management activities, and 27% have turned to AI to make hiring and firing decisions.

Jones commented: “The risk is when that reliance turns into blind trust. AI can only work with the data it’s given, and when that data is incomplete or out of date, the consequences can be serious.”

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How is this impacting the workplace?

Relying on AI to make decisions can lead to issues down the road. While in the short term, decisions can be made quickly, it can often ignore the bigger picture, and leaves no one accountable when wrong decisions are made.

While the pace of business is speeding up, it seems as though businesses are becoming a lot less personal. Of those interviewed, 65% agreed that AI has made decision-making less collaborative, and 46% of bosses are now relying on AI more than their colleagues’ advice to make decisions.

It is also creating a confidence gap. Yes, 83% of business leaders are feeling less stressed with AI backing up their decisions, but 70% are now second-guessing their own judgement, especially it if conflicts with AI’s suggestions.

It feels like a strange time for businesses and their leaders. When their decisions and roadmaps have got the business to where it is, leaders are hoping that AI is the key to the next step of growth. Whilst AI has the capability to automate workflows, and reduce time spent on admin, should it be the one calling the shots? Or are business leaders walking blindly into decisions that will hinder growth in the long run? Only time will tell.