What Does UK Consumers’ Growing Trust In AI Mean For Businesses?

AI has become staple in everyday life for many people in the UK. A new IBM study found that 74% of respondents across the UK and Ireland are comfortable allowing AI-powered assistants to help them make decisions, with things like financial choices and personal suggestions.

Almost half of those surveyed, 48%, said they would trust an AI assistant to help them enrol in a paid service. About 57% said they are fine with AI making daily decisions for them, while 62% welcomed AI’s help in giving personalised advice. The study, carried out by Censuswide, gathered feedback from 2,257 adults who were aware when they were interacting with AI.

Trust is rising fast as IBM reported that 79% of respondents trust interactive AI tools, such as chatbots, to deliver reliable results. Another 72% said they enjoy using AI in their daily lives. People are clearly becoming more open to letting machines play a more active role in how they manage daily choices.

 

Where Is AI Being Used Most Often?

 
AI has become part of people’s weekly routines in different industries. IBM’s research found that:

• 55% of consumers use AI in retail
• 48% in entertainment
• 43% in finance
• 42% in customer service
• 32% in government services

 
Confidence is also increasing with about 46% of people having said they are happy to make important decisions based purely on AI-generated information. This trust is strongest in sectors where users want that quick info or assistance, such as when shopping or banking. Businesses that use AI in these areas can benefit from faster service and better customer retention.

When asked where AI could be most useful…

• 40% of respondents chose fraud prevention
• 33% said better communication
• 30% mentioned smarter virtual assistants.

 
So people seem to value AI most when it protects their data, saves time and improves communication…

 

How Important Is Trust And Security?

 

Even as people become more confident in AI, security and privacy are still very important and take priority. About 63% of those surveyed said it is important to have transparency and control over how AI makes decisions. At the same time, 44% said they are cautious about the privacy risks of sharing data with AI systems.

The study also asked consumers what features would encourage them to use AI services more often. Convenience and speed were mentioned by 40%, while 37% chose data security and privacy and 35% valued 24 hour customer support.

Businesses can gain trust by building secure systems and being open about how their AI works. Smarter fraud detection, stronger privacy measures and reliable chat tools were among the improvements people most wanted to see. Changes like these can make AI services both safer and easier to use.

 

Are Younger People Using AI The Most?

 

Younger people appear to be the most comfortable using AI. Among millennials, 65% believe AI will help society more than it harms it. Around 70% said they trust AI tools when shopping, while only 32% of people aged 55 and older said they trust AI’s reliability. Age is clearly a big factor when it comes to who uses and trusts AI.

The study also found strong regional trends. In the North of England, 85% of people use virtual assistants, while in the Midlands the number stands at 84%.
 

 
In the West Midlands, 65% said they trust AI-powered retail services, which is more than 10% higher than the national average.

In London, 63% of people said they trust information from AI tools, 21% higher than the average across the UK and Ireland. In Manchester, half of those surveyed already use AI to complete everyday tasks.

These numbers are indicative of how acceptance of AI varies across the country. Areas such as the West Midlands and the North appear to be leading in terms of everyday adoption, suggesting that local attitudes and access to technology can influence how people use AI in their lives.

 

What Does This Mean For Businesses?

 

The IBM study shows that public trust in AI is opening doors for new business models in the UK. So many industries can benefit most from using AI-powered tools to assist customers. Companies are starting to move from your standard chatbots to more advanced AI agents.

Those that build systems with privacy and transparency at their core will be best placed to attract new customers. People are ready to use AI more often if they feel their data is handled safely and decisions are explained clearly.

Leon Butler, Chief Executive, IBM UK and Ireland said: “Our study shows that users are quickly climbing the curve of customer comfort when it comes to AI assistants. AI is increasingly influencing the way we live, work, shop and innovate and this is a prime moment for UKI enterprise to scale agentic AI to deliver customer-led growth.

“To seize this opportunity, organisations must prioritise transparency and explainability in AI services, deploy production-ready agents and invest in building the AI and digital skills of the UKI workforce – ensuring we’re equipped to capture the growing business opportunities.”

Businesses that use this gained trust for AI that the UK is developing, could see faster service, higher engagement and overall better customer satisfaction as the tech becomes part of everyday decision-making in the UK.

Neil Ward-Dutton, VP AI, Automation, Data & Analytics Europe, IDC said: “It’s striking that a large proportion of the UKI public are broadly comfortable with the idea of AI systems taking even consequential actions on their behalf.

“However public confidence in AI is currently ahead of business’ ability to deliver AI systems and services that are secure and reliable at scale. To reap the benefits of delivering AI-powered products and services to customers, business must carefully implement systems that will perform safely and not break customers’ trust.”