Britons are encountering AI, but recent YouGov polling finds little appetite for handing it unchecked authority—and more people say their trust in AI has fallen than risen. The results point to distrust and concern, not a single measure proving that everyone dislikes every AI product or company.
What the latest YouGov polls say about trust in AI
YouGov surveyed 1,287 UK adults online on 4 December 2025 and 1,187 on 8 December 2025 for questions about actions people would trust AI to perform. The results were weighted by age, gender, education, region and social grade to represent UK adults. These are reported attitudes, not measurements of what people actually do.
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Asked how their trust in AI had changed over the previous year, 20% said it had increased, 24% said it had decreased and 50% said it had stayed the same. The larger share reporting a decline than an increase suggests trust had not broadly improved.
No sector tested had more people trusting AI than distrusting it. Technology came closest: 28% said they trusted AI in that sector, while 38% said they distrusted it. For financial services, the figures were 15% and 53%; for health, 18% and 48%, respectively. These results concern AI in particular sectors, not general confidence in every company that makes AI.
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Where people draw the line on AI autonomy
The clearest resistance appears when AI would act independently or make consequential decisions. In YouGov’s December 2025 polling, respondents were asked which tasks they would never trust AI to do. The share selecting each task was:
- Act on their behalf without approval for each action: 72%.
- Make political decisions: 66%.
- Make financial decisions: 64%.
- Handle sensitive personal data: 63%.
- Operate a vehicle without human oversight: 62%.
Only 8% said there was no task they would never trust AI with. The pattern is not a blanket rejection of all AI assistance: it is a strong preference for human control when systems could act independently, affect high-stakes matters or handle sensitive information.
Do Britons trust AI companies with personal data?
The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Public Engagement Survey 2025/2026 found that 6% of adults had a great deal of trust and 29% a fair amount of trust in big technology companies to keep personal data safe. Banks and financial institutions, as well as the NHS, were much more trusted for data safety. This measures confidence in big tech companies’ data protection, rather than trust in AI as a technology.
Together with YouGov’s finding that 63% would never trust AI to handle sensitive personal data, the results suggest that data stewardship is a particular point of concern. They do not show that every respondent was judging the same companies or the same data-handling practices.
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Earlier YouGov polling on attitudes to AI in media, published on 27 February 2025, found that 86% of Britons considered disclosure of AI use important. Seven in ten did not believe there were enough regulations for AI-generated content and news. Those answers are specifically about media and AI-generated material, rather than a general rating of all AI regulation.
The DSIT Public Engagement Survey 2025/2026 adds evidence of broader support for safeguards: at least two-thirds of adults said legislation was needed to address each tested AI risk—job replacement, transparency, bias and safety. The findings indicate demand for rules in those areas, but do not specify one preferred regulatory model.
Are Britons worried that AI could threaten humanity?
In the December 2025 YouGov polling, 75% said they were concerned that AI could eventually pose a threat to humanity: 29% were very concerned and 45% somewhat concerned. This is a measure of concern about a possible long-term threat, not a forecast that such a threat will occur or a measure of views about a particular AI company.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Are young people turning against generative AI?
A 12 June 2026 TechRadar report of YouGov data said 42% of British adults would eliminate generative AI entirely if they could, while 22% were undecided. Among adults aged 18–24, 55% said they would make it disappear and 27% said they would not. This is a secondary report of YouGov data, and the question concerns generative AI—not AI tools or companies as a whole.
Those figures do not establish that young adults are not using generative AI. Use, confidence and approval are different things: someone may use a tool while disliking its wider effects or preferring stronger limits. The available figures support that distinction, not a claim that all young people oppose AI.
Quick Recap
What the polling does—and does not—show
- It shows reservations about trust and control. More respondents said their trust in AI had declined than increased, and large shares rejected AI acting without approval or taking on sensitive responsibilities.
- It shows concern about companies and safeguards. DSIT found limited trust in big technology companies to protect personal data, while the cited YouGov and DSIT results show support for disclosure and legislation addressing specified risks.
- It does not provide a universal dislike score for AI companies. The cited polls measure trust, concern, willingness to delegate, and views about disclosure or regulation. They do not directly rate every named AI company’s popularity.
- Its categories should not be collapsed. “AI,” generative AI, AI used in a sector and the companies that build or deploy it are different subjects. Results from differently worded questions are useful context, not interchangeable measures.
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