Scottish firms are planning to step up investment in AI skills, according to research from the Bank of Scotland Business Barometer.
Businesses step up investment in AI skills
54% of Scottish businesses say they plan to increase investment in AI to upskill their workforce in the coming year.
Of those increasing investment, 34% expect to spend between £25,000 and £100,000, while 29% expect to spend between £100,000 and £250,000.
48% of the country’s firms say they currently use AI, compared with 61% UK-wide, and 38% of those using it say it has created new jobs in their business, against 54% across the UK.
On skills, 52% of Scottish businesses say their workforce has the AI skills needed to meet business requirements, while 37% say it does not.
AI becoming essential for competitiveness
47% of Scottish firms say that businesses which fail to adopt AI in the next three years will be at a competitive disadvantage.
Barriers to AI adoption
Businesses in the country using AI cited a lack of understanding (25%), security concerns (20%), cost (14%) and not having enough internal expertise (14%) as the main challenges to getting greater value from AI.
Martyn Kendrick, Scotland director at Bank of Scotland Commercial Banking, said: “Scottish businesses recognise that AI is going to play an increasingly important role in how they operate and compete, and it’s encouraging to see more than half planning to increase investment in AI skills over the coming year.
“But there is still ground to make up, as AI adoption in Scotland remains behind the UK average, and more than a third of firms say their workforce doesn’t yet have the skills they need. Turning planned investment into practical skills and greater confidence will be crucial if Scottish businesses are to unlock the benefits of AI, from improving productivity to creating new jobs and supporting long-term growth.”
Amanda Murphy, CEO of Lloyds Business and Commercial Banking, said: "AI has the potential to be as transformative for businesses as the internet was a generation ago. The businesses seeing the greatest benefit are treating it not simply as a technology investment, but as a catalyst for broader transformation across their organisation.
“Success will depend on more than access to technology. It will come from building the skills, culture and confidence to use it effectively. The businesses that can combine human ingenuity with the power of AI will create a meaningful advantage in productivity, innovation and growth.
“As adoption accelerates, the greatest challenge for many organisations may not be keeping pace with technology, but ensuring they have the capabilities to adapt alongside it. Supporting businesses to navigate that transition will be critical if the UK is to fully capture the economic opportunity AI presents."
The national picture
More than half of UK businesses (54%) say AI has created new jobs, and 58% plan to invest in AI skills.
31% say their workforce does not yet have the AI skills needed and 58% of UK firms say businesses risk falling behind competitors if they fail to adopt AI.
For UK businesses overall, cost, data quality and skills are the biggest barriers to getting more value from AI.
Lloyds is scaling AI roles, tools and training
Lloyds is also investing in its own AI capability. In June, the Group announced plans for more than 1,000 AI-related roles in 2026, including almost 300 agentic AI-related roles and one of the first Level 6 AI Engineering apprenticeships by a UK bank.
More than 400,000 AI Academy courses have been taken since January, with over 65,000 colleagues completing training on working responsibly with AI.