UK consumers resist AI access to personal data, research finds

More than two-fifths of UK consumers would refuse to give AI access to their data, or stop using an AI tool altogether if access were required, according to new research. 

The figure rises to 53 per cent when the data in question is financial information, highlighting the challenge for organisations seeking to expand the use of AI assistants and agents.

The findings, from data privacy company Usercentrics’ State of Digital Trust 2026 report, suggest that consumers’ willingness to grant AI access varies significantly according to the sensitivity of the information involved.

On average, 40 per cent of UK consumers said they would refuse AI access or stop using the technology if access were required, compared with 45 per cent for files and documents, 40 per cent for company data, 37 per cent for email and calendars, 34 per cent for health data and 32 per cent for work tools.

Financial accounts represented the clearest boundary, with 53 per cent of UK respondents unwilling to grant access or saying they would stop using the AI. The figure compares with 49 per cent globally and is exceeded among the seven markets surveyed only by Sweden, at 68 per cent, and the Netherlands, at 63 per cent.

The research also identifies a gap between consumers granting AI access and feeling comfortable doing so. Globally, 16 per cent of consumers said they would grant AI access despite feeling uncomfortable, compared with 7 per cent who said they were fully comfortable granting access without conditions. Usercentrics describes this phenomenon as “resigned consent”.

The UK recorded one of the lowest rates of resigned consent among the markets surveyed, at 11 per cent. Only the US was lower, at 10 per cent, while the figure reached 24 per cent in Germany. The findings suggest that UK consumers are more likely to reject AI access when they are uncomfortable with it, rather than grant access reluctantly.

The findings come as businesses increasingly deploy AI tools that can access information and perform tasks on users’ behalf, putting questions of data access and trust closer to the centre of AI adoption.

Tilman Harmeling, staff strategy and market intelligence at Usercentrics, said the distinction between access and comfort was significant for businesses deploying AI. “An access rate tells a business how many people said yes to AI, it can’t tell them how many felt comfortable saying it,” he said. “Reluctant acceptance is a weak foundation for long-term adoption.”