The UK Cities Most Reliant on AI

Posted on July 31, 2025 by MRS Digital

Being one of the bigger adopters of AI, it’s clear the UK is taking up artificial intelligence like never before – boasting over 4.8 million monthly searches related to AI tools and ChatGPT nationwide.

This surge in interest stems from more than just a simple curiosity. It’s a sign that AI is quickly becoming embedded in the way UK businesses and individuals work, create, and problem-solve. Forming a fundamental part of people’s day-to-day operations, it’s not going anywhere any time soon. But that begs the question, which parts of the country are leading the charge? 

To find out, we analysed the average monthly Google Search Volume data for various AI-related search terms across the UK’s major towns and cities.

The UK cities relying on ChatGPT the most

While it’s no shock that London leads the way in sheer search volume for AI related searches, boasting over 2.7 million searches alone for “ChatGPT”, our analysis reveals a more interesting story when we dig deeper into relative usage and intent behind the searches.

London Dominates by Volume with Nearly 3 million AI-related Searches

London dominates the landscape in both AI and ChatGPT search activity.

With a population of around 8.9 million, it naturally generates the highest raw search demand, accounting for:

• 2,740,000 searches for “ChatGPT”
• 1,900 searches for “AI tool”
• 480 for “how to use ChatGPT”, suggesting a smaller, but growing user base still exploring the platform’s capabilities

This overwhelming volume solidifies and confirms London’s place as the tech and business capital of the UK – where AI adoption is being driven by innovation, scale, and competition.

But when we adjust for population size, a different set of cities take the lead.

Almost Half of Mancunians Search AI Related Terms Every Day

When breaking down searches per 1,000 people, to get a more accurate representation of AI use in a city on a population level, Manchester tops the list with 509 AI-related searches per month.

This was followed by Newcastle (471) and Birmingham (374), with London (363) taking fourth place. This suggests that smaller but digitally ambitious cities are punching far above their weight in AI interest and adoption.

For example, Manchester is widely regarded as a key hub for digital innovation in the North – outside of London. This high volume of searches per capita therefore suggests a local workforce keen on productivity tools and automation, especially in fintech, digital and tech innovation.

Newcastle follows closely, which may reflect a similar trend of urban populations looking to AI to streamline workflows, enhance content creation, or reduce admin as part of broader digital transformation initiatives.

Signs of Broader Workplace Integration

While “ChatGPT” was the most dominant term across all cities with over 4.8 million searches made per month in the UK, related searches, like “AI for work” (380), “AI tools” (3,180), “How to use ChatGPT” (590) – suggest growing practical usage beyond curiosity or trend-following across the nation.

Interestingly, smaller cities (compared to London) also recorded significant search volumes around AI, particularly with more niche terms like “AI tools”. With Leeds, Glasgow, and Bristol all making just 90 monthly searches for this term.

This points to a nationwide movement toward AI adoption, not just a trend in the capital. These searches also indicate that people are looking for different AI tools and not just using the infamous ChatGPT.

The end result? Data proves that AI is no longer niche or experimental. It’s increasingly seen as a day-to-day business tool, especially in knowledge-based industries.

Inverness has the lowest ChatGPT usage among UK residents

Having explored which are the biggest AI cities, it’s worth looking at the list of those that aren’t using AI so much.

With only 6,600 searches related to AI a month, Inverness takes the crown for using ChatGPT and other AI tools the least. Other searches around AI terms – like “AI tools”, “best AI tools” and “how to use ChatGPT” account for just 10 monthly searches each here – highlighting a stark contrast between more isolated, rural towns and cities and blossoming capitals.

Boasting a modest population of 82,000, and operating mostly in the construction, energy and fishing industries, it’s possible to see why AI use may be lacking in the Scottish town.

Other small cities in the British Isles follow suit

The city of Newport (Wales) and Londonderry (Northern Ireland) are the next cities that show the least interest in using AI.

With monthly searches for ChatGPT offering a comparatively measly 8,100 and 12,100 respectively, it’s apparent that the cities far away from financial, economic and tech hubs have less uptake for AI services.

While nationwide adoption is staggeringly high, it struggles to work its way into smaller towns and cities centred around industries that might not have found its use case for AI yet.

Surprising cities in the mix

In the top 10 cities that are least reliant on AI, some surprisingly big and well-known cities and their populations also appear to have limited interest in using AI, either in their personal lives or for streamlining business operations.

Nottingham (7^th) and Southampton (10^th) are surprising cities that don’t rely on AI. Although queries for ChatGPT dwarf the likes of Newport and Inverness – with 18,100 and 27,100 monthly searches respectively, terms like “how to use ChatGPT”, “AI tools” and “best AI tools” are almost identical to the much smaller cities.

Expert insight into how to use ChatGPT / AI tools effectively

With AI uptake higher in more urban areas and larger cities – as well as a significant amount of search volume targeted for understanding ChatGPT, AI and their use cases, it’s important for people to understand how to use them affectively if reliance is only going up.

Here are a few expert tips from the ramsac team on how to use these tools for your business growth.

1. Start with Clear, Specific Prompts

The foundation of effective AI use is how you communicate your needs. To get the answers you want, you need to ask it the right questions.

Clear and detailed prompts help guide an AI or LLM (Large Language Model) to produce more relevant and accurate responses.

Instead of vague requests like “Write something about marketing,” try “Create a 200-word LinkedIn post explaining the benefits of SEO for small businesses.”

It also helps to include wider context, what your objectives are, and relevant examples. This helps AI understand your intent better, reducing back-and-forth and improving efficiency.

2. Use Iterative Refinement

AI tools work best when treated like collaborators in a dialogue rather than doing the work for you or expecting the perfect answer first time.

Don’t expect the perfect response immediately.

Use follow-up prompts to tweak tone, add details, simplify language, or shift focus.

For example, after receiving a draft, you can say, “make this more conversational” or “add statistics about X”. collaborating with the AI and providing subtle tweaks to your prompts helps get the support you need, leveraging it properly to increase productivity.

3. Leverage AI as a Support Tool, Not a Replacement

While AI can speed up content creation, ideation, and data analysis, it’s not quite geared to human intelligence and critical thinking yet.

Although this is sure to change, it’s best used for generating ideas, drafting content, trawling data and even writing and fixing code.

However, always apply your own judgment to ensure accuracy, relevance, and brand alignment. This balance helps you maintain quality while benefiting from AI’s speed and scale.

4. Understand and Manage Limitations

AI models can produce information confidently and with a general high degree of accuracy. But mistakes can be made, AI can produce incorrect or outdated information, especially on specialised or recent topics.

Always fact-check and verify critical data before publishing or using it for decisions. Being aware of AI’s limitations helps avoid mistakes and builds trust in your final output.

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Methodology

Using Google Ads Keyword Planner, we obtained the average monthly searches for nine search terms and recorded the data per UK city.

The search location was isolated to each city individually to obtain the search volumes, whilst the location-specific AI [city name] term was adjusted to suit each location as it was changed. We then looked at the total searches and compared it against the population per 1,000 people to get an accurate population view.