Lancashire AIEvidence & sources
Claims should earn their place.
This page records the public, factual claims on Lancashire AI’s homepage: what is being claimed, the relevant scope, its primary source and when we last checked it.
Last checked: 3 October 2026. The 1% Challenge figure is a target, not a count of people already trained. Figures are not carried forward when their source or scope changes.
| Homepage claim | Scope | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| About 35% of UK businesses with 10 or more employees report using at least one AI technology, up from about 12% in late 2023. | UK businesses with 10+ employees; self-reported use; June 2026 BICS wave. The survey excludes some industries and is an official statistic in development. | ONS: Artificial intelligence in UK businesses, 2023 to 2026 |
| More than three-fifths of businesses that report a lack of AI expertise as a barrier train or retrain existing staff. | UK businesses with 10+ employees that cited lack of expertise as a barrier; June 2026 BICS wave. This is not a figure for every business. | ONS: Figure 11 and supporting analysis |
| The RICS responsible-AI professional standard took effect on 9 March 2026. | RICS members and RICS-regulated firms worldwide. The standard concerns AI outputs with a material impact on surveying services; it does not require every surveyor to use AI. | RICS: Responsible use of artificial intelligence in surveying practice |
| Lawyers remain responsible for AI-assisted legal work and must verify legal authorities and citations. | Those regulated by the SRA. This is a regulatory warning, not a claim that every firm has misused AI. | SRA: Misuse of AI warning notice |
| The 1% Lancashire AI Challenge target is 15,000 people. | One per cent of the 1.5m Lancashire Combined County Authority geography: Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. It is an intended target, with a verified participant count of zero until launch. | UK Government: Lancashire devolution deal |
| The challenge is inspired by Finland’s Elements of AI initiative. | The Finnish initiative’s original goal was to teach one per cent of Finns the basics of AI. Lancashire AI does not claim that the initiatives are identical. | University of Helsinki: Elements of AI initiative |