Building trust and readiness for the AI revolution

As part of the UK’s Defence AI Strategy, University of Liverpool led the Attitudes to Data project which explored how organisations and individuals perceive and work with data and understand the technical, cultural, and ethical factors that shape AI readiness across sectors.

Through 76 creative, interactive workshops involving participants from government, higher education, non-profits, SMEs, the public sector, and consultancy, the research examined how people experience data both as employees and as citizens.

Using LEGO® Serious Play®-style workshops, participants physically modelled how data and AI flow through their organisations, addressing emotional, cultural, and practical barriers that traditional surveys often miss. This method revealed how deeply human attitudes and workplace cultures influence the success or failure of data initiatives.

Across different sectors, the research found that enthusiasm for AI and data innovation is widespread, but progress is hindered not by technology, but by culture and governance. Participants identified confusing policies, siloed systems, inconsistent access to data, and security concerns as persistent barriers.

A complementary national survey reinforced these findings, showing that AI readiness is limited by uneven skills, patchy data quality, and uncertainty about responsibility and accountability.

By mapping real-world experiences of data users against national policy ambitions, the Attitudes to Data project is helping shape guidance for organisations to improve their data environments, build trustworthy data practices, and support the responsible adoption of AI.

Its findings are informing best-practice recommendations for the UK’s Defence AI Strategy and beyond — ensuring that AI readiness is built not only on powerful technology, but also on the human, ethical, and organisational foundations that make innovation sustainable.