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      UK attitudes to AI

      A UK perspective on 'Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025'

      You can drive growth with trusted AI.

      New research from ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø and the University of Melbourne1 reveals that the age of AI working is here. And it’s delivering benefits, such as increased efficiency, quality of work and innovation.

      But there’s a tension. While AI technologies and capabilities are advancing rapidly, AI literacy and responsible governance are not keeping pace. The UK findings show that the majority of the UK public lack AI education or training and don’t trust the technology. And complacent use of AI at work is presenting risks to businesses, including sharing of confidential data with public AI.

      The research, conducted between November 2024 and January 2025, captures the views on AI of more than 48,000 people across 47 countries � 1,029 in the UK. Together with our perspective on the findings, it offers a data-driven view of where leadership focus, strategic investment and workforce enablement are most urgently needed. 

      Read on for the key UK findings and delve into the full global research.

      Leanne Allen
      Leanne Allen

      Partner, Head of AI Advisory

      ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø in the UK

      Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025

      Read the full report on trust in AI, get our perspective on the global findings and see the key findings for all 47 countries surveyed.

      Discover more

      Experts in AI trust from ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø, EQTY Lab, Centrica and the University of Melbourne provide insights on how to build trust in AI.

      Trust in AI: less than half of the UK willing to trust AI

      AI stats

      The use of AI in the UK is growing. But trust levels are low. While 69% of people in the UK use AI for work, study or personally, just 42% say they’re willing to trust AI. And fewer than three-fifths (57%) are willing to accept or approve the use of AI.

      The UK public are concerned about AI risks and AI-generated misinformation. Almost three-quarters (72%) say they’re unsure online content can be trusted as it may be AI-generated. And an even greater proportion (78%) are concerned about negative outcomes from AI. Over half (55%) say they’ve already observed or experienced a loss of human interaction and connection.

      The answer? 80% of the UK public believe AI regulation is required. And 91% want laws and action to combat AI-generated misinformation. Just 33% believe that the current safeguards are adequate.

      Despite the apparent low levels of trust in AI, 71% of the UK public expect AI to deliver on a range of benefits. And 59% have personally experienced or observed benefits from AI use.

      The UK is grappling with a complex AI trust issue as the technology increasingly integrates into our daily lives. Given its rapid evolution, it's understandable that trust can be challenging. This rapid pace also makes it difficult for regulation to keep up. Therefore, both the government and organisations have a crucial role in educating society not only about the existing legislative safeguards but also in providing guidance on how to mitigate risks as AI continues to develop.

      Dr. Leanne Allen

      Head of AI

      ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø in the UK

      AI literacy: UK falling behind on AI training and education

      AI literacy is not keeping pace with adoption. That’s an issue if we’re going to ensure AI is used effectively and responsibly. And it’s a particular issue in the UK, which is falling behind other countries.

      Only a quarter (27%) of people in the UK say they have AI education or training. Despite that almost half (48%) believe they can use AI tools effectively � although a smaller proportion (36%) feel they have the skills and knowledge to use it appropriately.

      The UK is falling behind many other countries when it comes to AI training and literacy � out of the 47 countries surveyed, the UK is in the bottom third for AI literacy and training.

      A lack of trust in AI may, in part, be due to low AI literacy. How do you trust something you don’t understand? It’s important to think about how to familiarise and educate people to use AI effectively and responsibly, to ensure we don’t fall behind other countries. This education should extend beyond the workplace and into schools and homes, as people integrate AI into their everyday life.

      Dr. Leanne Allen

      Head of AI

      ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø in the UK

      AI in the workplace: the age of AI working is here

      AI in the workplace

      Despite the UK public showing low levels of trust in AI, most workers are now using it. And for some, AI has become an essential work tool.

      Almost two-thirds (65%) of UK workers say they intentionally use AI for work. With 44% concerned about being left behind if they don’t use AI at work. For some, AI has become a key work tool. Two-fifths (39%) of workers feel they can’t complete their work without the help of AI. Over half (53% or more) of those using AI at work say they’ve already observed or experienced increased efficiency, quality of work and innovation. And 45% report increased revenue generating activity.

      That said, workers did voice some negatives. Just under half (45%) rely on AI to do a task rather than learning how to do it themselves. 18% or more of workers report increased workload stress and pressure due to using AI. And 29% say AI has increased compliance and privacy risks (compared to 18% who say it has reduced them).

      Adoption of AI is only going to increase. To deliver the benefits while minimising the risks, organisations need a long-term strategy that breaks ingrained habits and adopts new ways of working collaboratively with AI.

      Dr. Leanne Allen

      Head of AI

      ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø in the UK

      AI risks: employees are complacent in their use of AI

      Workers are using AI. But are they using it appropriately? The research finds that employees are often complacent in their use of AI, creating complex risks for their organisations.

      More than half of workers (54%) say they’ve made mistakes in their work due to AI. An even greater proportion (58%) say they’ve relied on AI output at work without evaluating its accuracy. And almost two-fifths (38%) admit using AI at work in inappropriate ways.

      While 52% of employees say they use AI tools managed or provided by their employer, 58% are using publicly available, free AI tools. The biggest concern here is that 39% have uploaded company information (for example, financial, sales or customer data) into a public AI tool.

      AI risks
      Employees are eager to use AI to enhance their productivity at work. In the absence of suitable tools from their employers, they are turning to publicly available options. This isn’t malicious misuse � employees want to increase their own efficiency � but it carries significant risks. Once your intellectual property is entered into a public AI prompt, it cannot be retracted. Additionally, monitoring AI usage and effectiveness is challenging, particularly with the risks associated with shadow IT and employees presenting AI-generated content as their own. This is why it’s important to embed strong governance, education, and controls.

      Dr. Leanne Allen

      Head of AI

      ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø in the UK

      How to realise AI value

      To realise the value of AI in your organisation and achieve a competitive advantage, there are four key actions to consider.

      transform

      Transformational leadership

      • Lead by example to actively inspire confidence and trust across the entire organisation.
      • Strategically guide investments in AI capabilities, across three phases of AI-driven transformation â€� Enable, Embed and Evolve.
      • Redefine the business strategy, culture and operations to embrace AI-driven opportunities aligned with industry specific advantages.
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      Boost AI literacy

      • Invest in continuous AI training and resources to upskill users and build confidence in its use.
      • Foster a culture of curiosity, experimentation and learning to take the mystery out of AI.
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      Earn, sustain and enhance trust

      • Earn trust through explainable AI outputs, consistent with organisational value.
      • Communicate transparently about AI capabilities, outputs and potential limitations.
      • Implement clear recourse mechanisms to address
      360

      Strengthen responsible AI governance

      • Establish clear internal policies for addressing ethical use, risk management and regulatory compliance.
      • Advocate for clear and robust regulation aligned with organisational realities, values and AI use policies.

      You can with AI

      In the artificial intelligence (AI) era, anything seems possible. You can discover endless opportunities with AI. Let ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø show you how.
      Discover more

      About the trust in AI research

      All data is from 'Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025. The University of Melbourne and ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø.' This is the fourth survey in a programme of research examining public trust and attitudes to AI, which started in 2020.

      The 2025 report examines the perspectives of 48,000 people from 47 countries, representing all global geographic regions. It offers one of the most comprehensive examinations to date of public trust and attitudes towards AI, taking a deep dive into how employees and students use AI in work and education and their experiences of the impacts of AI in these settings.

      The UK sample is based on responses from 1,029 people in the UK, including 617 workers.

      Citation: Gillespie, N., Lockey, S., Ward, T., Macdade, A., & Hassed, G. (2025). Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025. The University of Melbourne and ÀÖÓ㣨Leyu£©ÌåÓý¹ÙÍø. DOI 10.26188/28822919

      The research cited was led by Professor Nicole Gillespie and Dr. Steve Lockey at the University of Melbourne.

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