UK Consumers and AI – Key Facts
- 82% of consumers would prefer to speak to a human customer service representative than use an AI chatbot. It highlights the trade-off brands must make between accessible and convenient AI solutions, and consumer need for trusted, human oversight.
- 50% of consumers who have heard of AI, consider it “overhyped”, compared to 14% who consider it “underhyped”. Despite AI grabbing headlines, consumers are yet to be convinced of its value, with many also considering it a “dangerous” technology.
- 40% of consumers who have heard of AI would trust it to help them learn. The opportunity for brands is to place AI technology as an enabler – to help upskill consumer behaviour and knowledge, rather than seeking to replace it.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Consumers knowledge and experience of AI, and how this translates into acceptance of new AI technologies
- How AI is being used across markets, the opportunities for brands to deliver convenience and personalisation using AI
- Competitive strategies and innovations of companies operating in the AI development space, and how this will shape the market for consumer products
- Consumer awareness and use of AI tools, and predictions of future trends in this space
- Consumer trust in AI tools for everyday life, and what this means for brands developing tools and services
- Attitudes towards AI, including consumer sentiment and perceptions of AI’s harms and advantages. How brands can balance the upside of AI solutions with consumer preference for human interaction
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Joe Birch. Joe is a consumer technology analyst with Mintel. He has over a decade’s experience in the market research industry as a research analyst and report writer. He joined Mintel in 2019 after a number of years as a research manager at a boutique consultancy, servicing B2B, Financial services and public sector clients.
Brands must focus on highlighting AI’s real world benefits rather than the underlying technology. Addressing concerns over reliability and fostering trust will be vital for AI to reach its potential.
Joe Birch
Senior Technology and Leisure Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities
- Embrace multimodal AI to drive accuracy and elevate the shopping experience
- The race is on to be the personal assistant of choice
- Brands must double down on transparency and accuracy to address consumer scepticism
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market outlook for consumers and AI
- Cheaper, leaner models, hybrid AI and Quantum breakthroughs to push AI capabilities
- There is widespread consumer concern over AI’s impact
- Graph 1: concerns over AI’s impact, 2023 and 2024
- Law seeks to enhance AI’s role and influence in society
- What consumers want and why
- Consumer knowledge and understanding of AI is growing
- Graph 2: knowledge of AI, 2023 and 2024
- Unlock the learning potential of AI
- Graph 3: trust in AI tools and services, 2024
- Brands must think about visibility in the Gen AI age
- Graph 4: use of AI tools, 2024
- Consumers prefer the expert human touch
- Graph 5: attitudes towards AI, 2024
- Leverage AI to create excitement with consumers
- Graph 6: perceptions of AI benefits, 2024
- Focus on seamless convenience in shopping experience
- Graph 7: attitudes towards AI, 2024
- Positive engagement will lead to monetisation opportunities
- Graph 8: attitudes towards AI, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Big tech doubles down on AI innovations
- And AI gets embedded in hardware
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market background
- The evolution of AI
- The recent evolution of AI
- Nearly three in five worried about the potential for AI to replace humans
- Concern over AI can lead to mistrust in its ability
- Regulatory landscape
- EU introduces AI act
- The UK seeks shared solutions on governance
- UK introduces the AI Opportunities Action Plan
- Government consults on use of AI in the creative industries
- Market drivers
- 7 in ten consumers exhibit concern over AI’s impact
- Graph 9: concerns over AI’s impact, 2023 and 2024
- Showcasing AI’s potential through real-world applications builds familiarity
- Graph 10: attitudes towards generative AI chatbots, 2024
- Automated Vehicles Act becomes law in 2024
- Consumers worry about driverless car revolution
- AI innovations appeal to those in higher income households
- DeepSeek-R1 disrupts the AI market
- ChatGPT’s resurgence dominates the AI Chatbot landscape
- The environmental cost of AI could see increased regulation on use and green alternatives
- Quantum computing could usher in the next ChatGPT moment
- Tech bosses call for greater freedoms in copyright law to train AI models
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AI’S INFLUENCE IN CONSUMER MARKETS
- AI in search
- Consumers have more options to search for information
- Graph 11: online platform consumers go to first when searching for information, 2024
- AI in media
- AI can be a curator of home entertainment and drive accessibility options
- Younger generations want AI transparency in music
- Graph 12: “I want to know if the music I am listening to has been created mostly with AI”, by generation, 2024
- Creative industries see unease about AI’s role in artistry
- Growth in Generative AI could transform the games market
- Evolving AI can drive down development costs while bringing innovation for gamers
- AI in retail
- AI has the potential to help improve the online shopping experience
- Graph 13: interest in using AI when shopping online, 2024
- Capitalising on tech developments
- Using AI to improve the online experience
- Brands incorporate AI into retail offering to drive visibility and personalisation
- The hype builds around agentic shopping
- However scepticism towards AI-based services is high
- AI in wellness
- Holistic wellness AIs could support total wellbeing
- AI in finance
- AI can help minimise admin in insurance
- Graph 14: attitudes towards AI in insurance, 2024
- AI can power the next generation of personal finance super-apps
- AI in sustainability and accessibility
- Dispel fears that AI will marginalise people further
- Graph 15: think artificial intelligence (AI) will marginalise disabled people further (eg will not account for accessibility needs, lack of representation for disabilities), by physical/cognitive issue, 2024
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Awareness and use of AI
- Consumers are increasingly knowledgeable about AI
- Graph 16: knowledge of AI, 2023 and 2024
- Knowledge gap evident between generations
- Graph 17: knowledge of AI by generation, 2024
- Brands must prepare for a search and decision revolution
- Graph 18: use of AI tools, 2024
- Create the vision of AI as a helper to engage boomers
- Graph 19: use of AI chatbots past six months, by generation, 2024
- Tap into upside of productivity gains
- Unleash consumers creative side in brand collabs with AI tools
- Graph 20: use of AI image creator tools by age and gender, 2024
- Trust in AI
- Unlock the learning potential of AI
- Graph 21: trust in AI tools and services, 2024
- Gaining trust will be crucial to bring older audiences into AI’s fold
- Fitness and wellness can be beneficiaries of the AI boom
- The financially resilient are more likely than overall to trust AI in everyday lives
- Younger consumers trust more in AI’s ability to provide personal advice
- Graph 22: trust in use of AI in lifestyle areas, by generation, 2025
- Holistic lifestyle advice at a touch of a button
- The role of AI in consumers’ lives
- Consumers still value the human touch
- Graph 23: attitudes towards AI customer service and advice, 2024
- Vigilance and oversight will be crucial in use of customer serving AI
- Graph 24: agreements that AI advice is as valuable as humans, by generation, 2024
- Encourage users to try AI customer service with fun interactions
- Push AI benefit to human professional development
- Graph 25: attitudes towards AI in consumers lives, 2024
- Highlight the man-made artisanal appeal to stand out
- Highlight benefits to overcome concerns on privacy
- Graph 26: attitudes towards AI in data privacy, 2024
- Attitudes towards AI
- Focus on getting people to try AI to help build case for AI’s accuracy
- Graph 27: perception of AI accuracy, 2024
- Impressions of AI accuracy decrease with age
- Convenience is at the heart of tech success, promote this for AI to resonate
- Graph 28: impressions of AI tools and services, 2024
- Convenient curation of vast swathes of content and information can be a success story for AI
- Create the excitement factor of AI to engage younger audiences
- Graph 29: impressions of AI tools and services, 2024
- Beware of consumer backlash around over-hyping AI’s capabilities
- Graph 30: impressions of AI tools and services, 2024
- Consumers are more concerned over the dangers AI represents
- Graph 31: impressions of AI tools and services, 2024
- Attitudes towards AI
- Brands need to double down on consumer protection
- Graph 32: attitudes towards AI and society, 2024
- Promote AI’s vision for society’s benefit more
- Graph 33: attitudes towards Big tech companies developing AI have the best interests of people at heart, by generation 2024
- Demonstrate the shortcuts to aid AI’s use
- Graph 34: attitudes towards AI tools and services, 2024
- Younger consumers expect AI for free
- Evidence your AI to foster trust and acceptance
- Graph 35: attitudes towards AI tools and services, 2024
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Competitive strategies
- NVIDIA lays the platform for digital human creation and reasoning AI
- Google aims to increase penetration of AI across its services
- Microsoft focuses on productivity gains in its AI offering
- Amazon focuses on building infrastructure for AI development
- Amazon’s AI revamp of Alexa assistant announced
- OpenAI introduces premium subscription level
- Samsung rolls out AI features across hardware
- Samsung outlines its AI for all strategy at CES 2025
- Apple launches Apple Intelligence for contextual support
- Meta ushers in the age of the AI agent
- New AI space race as models aim to outcompete
- Launch activity and innovation
- Alexa gets Generative AI upgrades
- Amazon and SmartThings debut map views for smart home management
- More retailers add AI-driven digital assistants to their arsenal
- Consumers optimistic about AI enhancing the shopping experience
- Travel sector leverages AI for streamlined operations
- Brands push personalised AI driven workouts
- AI smart mirror aims to be a digital PT
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations and terms cont.
- Consumer research methodology
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