Introduction
Global headlines about artificial intelligence can feel distant from daily mortgage work. Stories about American tech giants spending billions or Chinese breakthroughs in robotics are eye-catching yet easy to dismiss as irrelevant to a UK broker or lender.
The truth is different. The scale of global AI investment and adoption is reshaping expectations everywhere. Mortgage businesses in the UK cannot sit this out. What happens in Silicon Valley or Beijing today will influence how clients, regulators and competitors operate in London Manchester or Glasgow tomorrow.
The AI boom is not just another trend. It is a structural shift that carries direct consequences for brokers lenders valuers and conveyancers.
A clearer picture of UK adoption
In June 2025 official figures showed that 21% of UK trading businesses were already using some form of AI and another 14% planned to adopt it. That is higher than many imagine yet still far from universal. Concerns about job losses dominate headlines but the data is more balanced. In September 2025 only 4% of UK businesses using AI said their headcount had fallen because of it. Among those planning to adopt 7% expected a reduction. This suggests the impact is mixed and manageable. Upskilling rather than fear is the smarter approach.
The UK is investing in compute power
The government’s Compute Roadmap set out more than £1bn to expand the UK’s AI Research Resource massively by 2030. Up to £750m has been earmarked for a new national supercomputer. Reuters reported the plan as a twenty-fold increase in national compute capacity within five years. Isambard-AI which cost £225m and was built with NVIDIA HPE and the University of Bristol is already operating. For financial services this shows a clear policy direction. More domestic compute means faster research cycles and better access to models that meet UK regulatory requirements.
Energy use is the new constraint
AI depends on electricity as much as code. The International Energy Agency projects that global data centre electricity demand will more than double by 2030 reaching about 945 TWh. Independent analysis suggests that AI’s share of this demand could rise from 5–15% today to as much as 50% by the end of the decade. For lenders and brokers this is not an abstract issue. Rising power demand will affect cloud pricing service availability and ESG reporting across the mortgage supply chain.
The mortgage chain is already digital
In the second half of 2024 HM Land Registry reported that 88% of applications were submitted digitally, more than 1.9m in total. By March 2025 it was processing more than 95% of applications within 12 months. The Registry continues to invest in data and digital services to go even faster. As registration accelerates client expectations are shifting. If Land Registry can process cases more quickly clients will naturally expect brokers lenders and solicitors to match that pace.
Barriers remain practical not mysterious
When UK firms hesitate the reasons are straightforward. A techUK survey showed that the main blockers are lack of expertise at 35% high costs at 30% and uncertainty about return on investment at 25%.
The government’s SME Digital Adoption Taskforce put the upside into perspective. Even a one percent productivity uplift across UK SMEs would add £94bn to GDP every year. Small wins at firm level translate into national growth.
Private investment is expanding alongside public policy
DSIT noted that more than £25bn of private data centre investment has been announced in the UK since mid 2024. This gives mortgage firms more options to source services from UK based providers which can be important for risk appetite and compliance.
Governance is a competitive advantage
Studies show that many firms allow staff to use unapproved AI tools with little oversight. For small businesses this is particularly risky because security and compliance resources are limited. Clear policies, an approved tools list and a requirement for human review go a long way in reducing exposure. McKinsey’s 2025 survey found that only 27% of organisations review all AI outputs before use. Making review a default practice is not only safer but also a point of differentiation.
Implications for each link in the chain
Brokers could use AI for notes, criteria summaries and marketing while tracking time saved and errors reduced. Lenders should apply AI to decisioning hygiene and build libraries of approved use cases with measurable controls. Valuers need to align with the RICS standard and log human sign-off as part of their audit trail. Conveyancers could speed up contract comparison and title summarisation while publishing clear client-facing AI policies to build trust.
Proof points that matter to stakeholders
- 21% of UK firms already use AI and 14% plan to adopt.
- Only 4% of AI adopters reported job losses showing the impact is more balanced than feared.
- UK compute capacity is scaling up twenty-fold with £225m already spent on Isambard-AI.
- Data centre power demand could double by 2030 with AI taking up half of it.
- HM Land Registry already processes 88% of applications digitally proving clients feel the benefits.
A practical playbook
- Start with measurable tasks such as meeting notes and compliance drafts.
- Use approved tools only and forbid uploads of personal client data into public models.
- Keep humans in the loop with logs of who reviewed what.
- Measure time saved and errors avoided as KPIs.
- Run quarterly reviews to refine or retire tools that do not deliver.
Conclusion
The global AI boom is visible in rising UK adoption, massive investment in compute, growing private sector build-out and accelerating digital processes across the property chain. Energy constraints and governance challenges are real but manageable.
The firms that will win are those that can show clients faster turnaround, clearer communication and reliable outcomes supported by AI. Governance and efficiency are not optional extras, they are the foundations of trust in financial services.
Firms that learn to blend human expertise with AI efficiency will not only keep pace with global change. They will set the standard for what good looks like in the UK mortgage industry.
