Why We Sponsored the AI Adoption Award at The National AI Awards 2025
Tom Hewitson on stage at The National AI Awards 2025 presenting the AI Adoption Award.
At this year’s National AI Awards on Thursday 16 October 2025, we sponsored the AI Adoption Award – a category we created to recognise the organisations turning artificial intelligence from potential into practice.
In his on-stage remarks, Tom Hewitson, our Chief AI Officer, explained why this award matters:
“AI’s real impact isn’t determined by those who build it, but by those who use it. And that’s what the AI Adoption Award celebrates.
The UK has long been a world leader in developing AI, but if we’re to see the promised benefits, we also need to take the lead in putting it to work. This means tackling the messy, complex challenges of changing culture, honing use cases, and ensuring everyone has the skills and confidence to use it well.
We created this award to recognise those who are laying the path — and to show that succeeding with AI is as much about humans as it is about technology.”
This year’s AI Adoption Award was presented to Kainos, for its collaborative work with IOM – UN Migration and Microsoft on transforming border security. Their platform helps frontline teams detect travel document fraud and disrupt trafficking networks — a practical example of AI adoption that delivers measurable social impact.
Following the ceremony, Tom reflected on LinkedIn that:
“The only world in which AI is a net benefit is one where humans remain in the loop – and we wanted to ensure recognition for those who are taking that approach.”
Our thanks go to Fergus Bruce, Alexandra Foster, and Zoe Kleinman for curating an event that showcased the best of UK innovation and responsible AI in action.
For General Purpose, this award represents what we teach every day: that the real opportunity lies not only in building AI, but in helping people use it wisely.