The report, Count on It: Numeracy, AI, and Social Mobility, was launched at a parliamentary event in the Churchill Room, bringing together leaders from education, business and policymaking to discuss how the UK can ensure everyone has the skills needed to thrive in an AI-enabled future.
Produced by Policy Connect, with support from KPMG UK, the independent charity National Numeracy and several members of the National Numeracy Leadership Council (NNLC), the report argues that numeracy must become a central part of the UK's AI agenda.
Only one in four UK adults believe good numeracy skills are needed to use AI tools
While AI has the potential to transform education, work and everyday life by making information and digital tools more accessible, the report warns that too many people lack the skills needed to use it confidently and critically.
New research published in the report reveals that just 25% of UK adults believe good numeracy skills are needed to use AI tools, compared with 42% who recognise the importance of literacy skills. At the same time, 77% of people who have used AI consider it trustworthy for accuracy, despite AI systems sometimes presenting incorrect information with the same confidence as correct answers.
The report argues that without the confidence to question, interpret and sense-check AI outputs, there is a risk that AI could disproportionately affect lower socioeconomic groups, potentially widening existing inequalities.
The parliamentary launch was opened by Lord Ravensdale before Policy Connect's Research and Strategy Manager, Rhiannon Tuckett-Jones, presented the report's findings.
A panel discussion followed featuring Sam Sims, CEO of National Numeracy; Melissa Geiger, Chair of KPMG UK and Switzerland; Erica Bourne, Group Chief People Officer at LSEG; and National Numeracy Ambassador Bobby Seagull MBE.
Andy Haldane, Chair of the National Numeracy Leadership Council and Patron of National Numeracy, said:
"Information is not the same as insight. AI provides an abundance of the former but is not guaranteed to deliver the latter. And it is insight – problem-solving, critical thinking, informed decision-making – that determines whether AI transforms lives for the better. As the report sets out compellingly, numeracy skills are key to determining whether AI can deliver a genuine leap forward in insight, understanding and decision-making."
Melissa Geiger, Chair of the Board, KPMG in the UK and Switzerland, added:
"I feel passionately that we need to equip young people, in particular, with the numeracy skills they need to thrive in the workplaces of the future and create pathways for people from all backgrounds to succeed. Without action soon, AI could continue to widen existing divides rather than serve as a tool to close them."
The report comes as government, employers and education providers seek to prepare people for an AI-enabled economy. It calls for numeracy to be recognised as a core skill for the AI age and recommends renewed investment in numeracy across education, adult learning and workplace training.
By strengthening numeracy alongside AI capability, the report argues, policymakers can help ensure the benefits of AI are shared more fairly, supporting economic growth, social mobility and opportunity for all.
Image credit: fauxels, Pexels
