Mastercard says British consumers are shifting leisure spending towards in-person experiences and away from digital activity. Its latest research found that many plan to rely less on screens and algorithms when deciding how to spend their free time.

The findings are based on a survey of 2,000 UK respondents, alongside wider European research covering 27,000 people across 28 countries. Two-thirds of UK consumers said they are prioritising in-person experiences this year to balance the time they spend online, while 60% prefer human recommendations over algorithmic suggestions when planning days out.

A separate spending measure from the Mastercard Economics Institute showed that experiences excluding travel accounted for 23.3% of UK consumer spending last year, up from 22.3% in 2024. That put experiences ahead of discretionary retail spending, which stood at 22.7%.

The data points to a broader shift in how consumers value leisure. Nine in 10 respondents said they were willing to spend less on goods if it meant taking part in more experiences, and 71% said lived experiences are now more important than ever.

Technology is among the categories people are prepared to cut back on. About 32% said they would spend less on technology and gadgets, while 26% would reduce spending on streaming services to free up money for leisure activities.

Human-led choices

The survey suggests many consumers want a break from digital mediation as artificial intelligence becomes more common in daily life. Some 69% of Britons said they plan to put human recommendations first and use algorithms less when making leisure plans, while 39% said they would not want to admit they had used AI to organise an event or experience.

There was also strong interest in activities designed to reduce digital engagement. More than half of respondents, 52%, said they expected to take part in more analogue experiences that encourage them to switch off, while 62% planned to attend digital detox or analogue escapism events where smartphones and connected devices are discouraged or banned.

Community also emerged as a strong theme. The research found that 62% were interested in what Mastercard described as communal coping events, ranging from repair cafes to group sessions built around emotional release. Another 61% said they preferred experiences that directly support local communities or businesses.

Travel and tourism ranked as the most popular summer experience category among UK respondents, cited by 78%. Food-related activities followed at 69%, then live events at 66%. Film-related experiences, heritage attractions, theatre, cultural events, wellness activities, family outings and outdoor experiences also ranked highly.

Preferences varied by age group. People aged over 65 were the most likely to say experiences create the best life memories, at 84%. Gen Z respondents were the most likely to seek front-row access to favourite events, while millennials showed the strongest interest in communal activities. Overall, consumers aged 35 to 44 showed the greatest appetite to try something new this year.

Nostalgia trend

The report also identified nostalgia as a notable force in the experience market. Half of UK respondents said they were seeking more nostalgia-based experiences, and 71% expected to take part in an activity that revives past cultural moments.

Mastercard and research partner Trend Hunter grouped the developments into six themes: analogue escapism, common ground, communal coping, conscious connection, halcyon days and indie everything. Examples ranged from vinyl listening bars and still-photography events to sleeper train journeys, themed supper clubs, second-hand fashion and niche community gatherings.

For smaller businesses, the shift could create a commercial opening. More than half of respondents said they would actively look to book activities through small and medium-sized businesses, while 54% associated those firms with higher-quality experiences. Another 57% said they would use local businesses more often if they offered experiences as gifts.

Consumers also appear willing to spend more in those settings. Some 68% said they spend more freely when out enjoying an experience, and 61% said they were happy to pay more for activities that benefit their local area or businesses.

Natalia Lechmanova, chief economist for Europe at the Mastercard Economics Institute, said: “We’re witnessing a significant shift across Europe as consumers reshape their priorities and the balance of their leisure time. Our findings point to something deeper than changing habits. As the pull of the digital world intensifies, they reflect a growing appetite for quality-over-quantity experiences, anchored in human connection.

“Whether it’s live events, cultural pursuits or activities discovered through a personal recommendation, people are leaning into moments that bring them together and leave a lasting impression.”

Trend Hunter said the shift should not be seen as a wholesale rejection of technology, but as an effort to draw firmer boundaries around leisure time.

Courtney Scharf, futurist at Trend Hunter, said: “The UK is embracing the human touch when it comes to experiences this summer, but this isn’t a rejection of technology. Consumers are adopting automation for the efficiency it brings to work and everyday life, while increasingly balancing this out by spending their leisure time in ways that feel distinctly human. The more pervasive AI becomes and the more of our lives we spend online, the more valuable those personal experiences are.

“AI can deliver great insights in a split second, but it cannot recreate the chemistry of people sharing a space, or the unpredictability of a live moment. People are filling their social time more intentionally – choosing live music over streaming, communal activities over solo scrolling, and deeper connections over quick catch-ups. 2026 will be remembered as the year consumers rediscovered what only the real world can offer.”

The Chartered Management Institute has launched a suite of Leadership for AI qualifications after research showed many UK managers are struggling to turn AI investment into productivity gains.

Developed with TechSkills, the new courses are aimed at managers from frontline roles to senior executives. They cover AI literacy, cybersecurity, data and leadership, with separate levels for junior managers, departmental heads and C-suite leaders.

CMI’s survey of 1,019 managers found only 5% had seen transformational productivity gains from AI. By contrast, 26% reported no gains at all, while most described improvements as modest and limited to specific areas.

The findings suggest a gap between spending on AI tools and organisations’ ability to use them effectively. Just 12% of managers feel very confident leading AI adoption, while 38% lack the training to make it work.

Confidence falls further with more advanced systems. Only 10% of managers said they felt confident using agentic AI, and 8% said the same of predictive or analytical AI.

Senior leadership knowledge also emerged as a concern. Only 18% of managers strongly believed senior leaders fully understand the benefits AI can deliver, and fewer than one in ten, 8%, said leadership is actively tracking return on investment from AI.

Leadership gap

The new qualifications are designed to address that problem at different levels of management. Level 3, Managing AI Adoption, is aimed at junior and frontline managers. It focuses on team readiness, basic AI literacy and reducing unsanctioned use of AI tools in departments.

Level 5, Leading AI Transformation, is targeted at operational and departmental leaders. It centres on measuring return on investment, fitting AI into existing workflows and managing the shift to processes where people continue to oversee outputs.

At the most senior level, Strategic Leadership of AI is intended for executives and directors. It focuses on governance, ethics, long-term planning, organisational risk and compliance.

TechSkills said it helped develop specifications across AI, cybersecurity and data that shaped the course content. The work was informed by employer-led groups and senior advisers involved in setting digital skills standards.

The survey also points to broad support among managers for stronger training. Some 85% said employee performance would improve with a better understanding of how to manage AI, and 81% said the same for their own performance.

Lorna Willis, Chief Executive of TechSkills, argued for broader leadership preparation as AI changes workplace structures and expectations.

“AI is not just reshaping what organisations do, and how they do it, it is redefining who leads within them. Leadership is no longer tied to title or tenure, it is becoming a capability expected at every level. Entry level roles are increasingly required to manage and collaborate with teams of AI agents. And as AI introduces greater uncertainty, the need for strong, clear leadership has never been greater.

“In this landscape, technical skills alone are not enough. The qualities that matter most are deeply human: clarity, calm, curiosity, the confidence to challenge and question, and the ability to communicate with purpose and conviction.

“This is why AI-ready leadership demands both speed and care, the courage to act, balanced with thoughtful caution.

“It has been a pleasure to work with the Chartered Management Institute, who have responded with real pace by partnering with TechSkills to shape new tech and AI leadership standards for this new era. With thanks to those who have supported this work, including:

Mayank Jain (Infosys), Associate Professor Ismini Vasileiou (De Montfort University / East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster), Chris Parker MBE (Fortinet), Zeshan Sattar (The Cyber Scheme), Professor Robert Black (UK Cyber Leaders Challenge), Steve Taylor (National Fire Chiefs Council), Daniel Wilson (Amazon), and Gozde Karahan (Place Informatics).

“This reflects what is needed now: collaboration, clarity, and leadership at every level,” Willis said.

Industry view

Others involved in the initiative also argued that management quality will determine whether AI spending delivers measurable benefits. Dr Nicola Hodson, chair of IBM UK and Ireland, said organisations need stronger judgement and oversight rather than relying on technical teams alone.

“Essential skills for managers and leaders today go beyond simply understanding how to use AI, they include using it responsibly, recognising the ethical implications, ensuring decisions remain fair and unbiased, and creating opportunities for employees to get hands-on experience with the technology. Organisations that succeed will be those that build confidence and capability at every level, not just among technical specialists.”

“The rise of AI makes human skills more important, not less. Strong management and leadership, creativity, sound judgement, and the ability to build relationships will be critical differentiators. It is this combination of technical awareness and deeply human capability that will define success in the years ahead,” Hodson said.

Jacky Wright, former chief technology and platform officer at McKinsey, linked AI adoption to leadership and organisational culture as much as software deployment.

“AI is no longer a future ambition, it’s a present-day reality for organisations across every sector. But successful adoption isn’t just a technical challenge. It’s also a leadership and cultural one. Without strong, informed leadership, AI risks being underutilised or delivering uneven results. To truly unlock AI’s potential, leaders need the strategic foresight to know where AI creates value and the ability to bring people along to new ways of working.

“It has been a pleasure to work alongside fellow members of the CMI’s AI Advisory Council to help both identify what needs to be done to get this right and to support the development of workable tools for leaders at every stage in their career journey,” Wright said.

CMI framed the issue as a management problem rather than a technology constraint. Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said many businesses had moved quickly to buy AI tools without giving managers the training needed to use them well.

“The sad truth is that untrained managers are holding back Britain’s AI boom. Businesses have moved quickly to invest in AI, but many are now finding that getting it in the door is the easy part, while making it actually deliver is much harder and comes down to how organisations are led.

“Too often, managers have been handed powerful tools without the training or confidence to properly oversee their use. This risks wasted investment, inconsistent decisions and employees becoming fed up with ad-hoc decision-making. If we want AI to deliver real productivity gains, we need to focus on the people leading it, not the technology itself,” Francke said.

Dataiku has published research showing that UK chief executives are making artificial intelligence a top priority while delaying some initiatives. The survey found UK leaders were the most AI-focused of the regions studied.

The findings are based on a Harris Poll survey of 900 chief executive officers in the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, the UAE, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Respondents worked at large companies with annual revenue above USD $500 million, or the regional equivalent.

Among UK respondents, 81% said AI strategy was a top or high priority, compared with 73% globally. At the same time, 77% said they were more concerned about over-investing in AI than under-investing, versus 65% globally.

That tension points to a widening gap between boardroom ambition and execution. Leaders continue to rank AI near the top of the corporate agenda, but are weighing spending more carefully as questions about returns and oversight grow.

Regulation emerged as a key factor in that caution. More than half of UK chief executive officers, 51%, said they had delayed AI initiatives because of regulatory uncertainty, up from 26% a year earlier.

The increase suggests a sharper shift in sentiment in Britain than in many other markets covered by the study. It also shows that concern about AI rules is moving from a background issue to a direct influence on investment decisions.

Even so, confidence remains high. Some 89% of UK chief executive officers described themselves as “extremely confident” in their AI strategy, above the overall figure of 81%.

The data presents a mixed picture of executive thinking. British business leaders appear convinced of AI’s importance, but less certain about the pace and conditions under which they should expand its use.

Boardroom role

Chief executive involvement in AI decisions also remains strong. More than two-thirds of UK respondents, 71%, said they were actively involved in AI-related decisions at their companies.

That level of participation suggests AI governance remains close to the top of the organisation rather than being left solely to technology teams. It also places more direct accountability on senior leaders as projects move from experimentation to broader deployment.

Dataiku presented the results as evidence that access to AI tools is no longer the main issue for large companies. The harder task is turning AI investment into dependable business use while maintaining control over systems and decision-making.

Florian Douetteau addressed that challenge in a statement accompanying the findings. “Every enterprise now has access to powerful AI. The differentiator is whether they can turn that power into reliable business decisions,” said Florian Douetteau, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Dataiku.

“That is the cognitive dissonance happening in the C-suite right now: CEOs are staking their jobs on AI, but still questioning its outputs and struggling to control the systems they say they own. The companies that close that gap will be the ones building AI worth being accountable for. That is what separates a bet from a business,” he said.

Measured expansion

The UK figures stand out because they combine some of the strongest enthusiasm for AI with some of the clearest signs of restraint. British chief executive officers led the surveyed regions in the share ranking AI as a top priority, yet they also showed growing unease about committing too much capital before regulatory and commercial questions are settled.

For companies already under pressure to show returns on technology spending, that may lead to a more selective approach. Projects with clear business outcomes are likely to win backing more easily than broader or less defined AI programmes.

The survey focused on leaders of large companies, so the results reflect sentiment at the upper end of the corporate market rather than among smaller businesses. That matters because large organisations often have bigger budgets and more direct exposure to formal compliance requirements, making regulatory uncertainty a more immediate operational issue.

Across that group, the findings suggest AI is no longer treated simply as an experimental technology issue. It has become a board-level priority shaped by investment discipline, risk management and accountability.

For UK businesses, the combination of high confidence and rising hesitation may define the next phase of adoption. The clearest signal is that many leaders still believe in their strategy, even as 51% say they have already delayed AI initiatives because of regulatory uncertainty.