New Report Reveals Most AI-Savvy Cities In The UK

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A new report from Yell focusing on how consumers use AI technologies and use them to interact with businesses, has revealed which cities around the UK are currently the most confident with the technology.

With AI-based household tech such as smart speakers and online tools such as chatbots and smart-saving apps already revolutionising the way we conduct our daily lives; Yell’s report delves into more detail about how we interact with the technology. By using insight gained from extensive surveys with over 2,000 consumers from across the country, the findings help to shine a light on current attitudes towards AI, and how businesses could shape the way they operate as a result.

Namely, the report reveals that Cardiff is currently the most AI-savvy city based on the number of consumers already using the technology on a regular basis, with 23% of residents saying that they use AI tech daily. This puts the city significantly above the national average of 15%.

Despite London being the centre of technological advances and a stereotypically tech-savvy city, in this instance the capital falls just outside of the top ten, in 11th place with 14% of Londoners using AI every day.

The Most AI-Savvy Cities

Rank   City % who use AI every day  
1 Cardiff 23%
2 Liverpool 19%
3 Edinburgh 18%
4 Nottingham 17%
5 Brighton 16%
6 Glasgow 16%
7 Leeds 16%
8 Manchester 16%
9 Belfast 15%
10 Birmingham 15%

Looking more closely at how the use of AI has increased over recent years, it’s to be expected that many of the top cities for current AI usage have seen the most dramatic increase in use of the tech over the past 10 years. However, looking ahead to the next 10 years, Liverpool is the city that is predicted to see the most dramatic future increase in AI uptake. With two thirds (66%) of Liverpudlians predicting that they’ll use the tech daily, the city will see a 47% increase in those using AI vs today.

Top of The Tech – Which AI Tech Is Most Popular Around the Country?

Although Cardiff may be the most AI-savvy city in 2022, when survey respondents were asked which types of AI tech they use the most (regardless of the frequency with which they use it), the results highlighted some clear differences across the nation.

Nationally, banking apps are the most popular form of AI-based tech, with 59% of the population using them to help manage their finances more efficiently – although, in some cities such as Belfast, this figure is much higher with almost three quarters (72%) of residents using this form of tech.

In three cities across the UK, the most popular form of AI tech is digital assistants such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices. Glasgow is the city with the highest usage of this tech, at 62%, with Newcastle (57%), Norwich (55%) and Sheffield (48%) residents using the devices more than any other form of AI-based tech.

Looking at each of these key technologies in isolation, there are some cities where some types of AI-tech are much more popular than the national average – for example, Belfast residents are the stand-out favourites of savvy financial planning, while smart home set-ups such as apps to control heating and lighting are particularly favoured by those in Brighton.

Type of AI tech City with the greatest usage per AI tech type
Banking apps Belfast – 72%
Digital assistants such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa Glasgow – 62%
Chatbots on websites/social media Glasgow – 33%
Security cameras and devices – such as Ring or Simplisafe Belfast – 32%
Smart home set-ups (e.g. lighting, heating) Brighton – 31%
Smart/AI appliances (e.g. vacuum cleaners, washing machine – link via app) Bristol – 19%
Virtual headsets for gaming Belfast – 26%
Fitness equipment (e.g. smart mirrors) Plymouth – 20%
Smart locks Cardiff – 9%
Self-driving and parking vehicles Belfast – 11%
Autonomous delivery services (e.g. delivery drones/robots) Belfast – 11%

Claire Miles, Chief Executive Officer of Yell commented: “Many of us have lived through the digital revolution with first, personal computers, then mobile devices and now AI, changing the way that we conduct our daily lives and interact with the world around us.

“As with any new technology, there will always be early adopters, however it’s interesting to see how different cities are further ahead with their shift to AI than others. With consumers becoming more comfortable with the AI technology, different marketplaces and ways of booking a job, getting an instant response by chatbot, paying securely online, this is an evolving area for businesses to take note of. For example, businesses in Cardiff may do well to ensure they’re introducing and utilising AI within their customer-facing operations, given that people in their locality are happy to use it. Likewise for Glasgow-based businesses, where a third of people are happy to use chatbots, significantly above the national average.”

To read the full report and discover further insights into AI and its impact on business and consumers, visit: https://business.yell.com/sme-insight/the-artificial-intelligence-report/  

 

Methodology 

Survey conducted in partnership with Censuswide in March 2022 to the following respondents:   

  • 2,003 UK consumers 
  • 1,008 UK business leaders