Anthropic subscriptions overtake OpenAI in the UK, fresh data suggests

Recent data indicates that Anthropic's subscriptions have surpassed OpenAI's in the UK, marking a shift in the AI market landscape. Anthropic now represents 54% of all UK business spending on AI firms over the three months to July, compared to OpenAI's 27%, according to analysis shared exclusively with City AM. This data, sourced from hundreds of thousands of business customers of Capital on Tap, a London-based corporate credit card company, underscores OpenAI's declining dominance in the AI market.

OpenAI once held 70% of all AI spending in the UK, as recently as the second quarter of last year, but this has dropped significantly to 8% for Anthropic. The data also reveals a surge in AI adoption among UK businesses, with more than one in eight companies spending on AI firms in the second quarter of the year, up from one in twenty at the beginning of last year.

Capital on Tap's chief executive, Damian Brycy, noted that the adoption of AI is accelerating, potentially tripling from current levels. The company's average quarterly AI spend per customer, primarily small and medium-sized businesses, stood at £288, although this figure has significantly increased among top-tier customers. Additionally, AI 'vibe coding' adoption among businesses has risen from 5% to 16% over the past year.

The data excludes spending on AI services from software companies like Google and Microsoft due to difficulties in distinguishing between AI and non-AI expenses.