According to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), UK businesses are using AI to automate roles and support staff rather than replace them, with fewer than 10% of firms reducing employee headcount as a result of AI. AI adoption among UK businesses with 10 or more employees has almost tripled since late 2023, rising from around 12% to 35%. Larger organizations are leading, with 49% of those with 250 or more employees using at least one AI system, compared with 28% of businesses with nine employees or fewer. The most frequent internal use of AI was 'improving business processes', particularly among organizations with more than 50 employees. However, just 1% of the smallest businesses and 1.2% of the largest businesses report increasing headcount directly due to AI, with around half reporting no change. Over 60% of businesses are integrating AI skills through training or reskilling to reduce barriers to AI expertise. Researchers noted that task automation is occurring much faster than job automation. The World Economic Forum predicts technological change could create 170 million jobs while displacing 92 million by the end of the decade, resulting in a net increase of 78 million jobs. Analysis by Box found 65% of business leaders expect overall headcount to increase in the next three years, with just 14% expecting decreases.