- Only 14% of UK consumers say they would trust autonomous AI agents.
- Control, accountability and transparency would help generate more trust
- Companies should also consider upgrading their identity and permissions to strengthen their governance.
New findings from EY claim that three in four (74%) UK consumers have used AI in the last six months, quantifying widespread adoption by the general public. However, only 14% said they would feel comfortable relying on fully autonomous agent-like AI.
With such a low level of trust, the study shows a growing trust gap between what AI is actually capable of and what users are comfortable with, implying that capability is no longer the limiting factor in AI.
As EY further researched the topic, it discovered that users are also demanding more control, accountability and transparency from their tools.
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The trust gap shows that trust is the limiting factor in AI
Data shows that security and privacy are big concerns for users, with only about two in five trusting companies (43%) or governments (41%) to effectively manage their AI data, and three-quarters (73%) worrying about AI systems being hacked or breached.
“As AI systems become more autonomous, trust must be anchored through strong databases, clear accountability and visible human oversight,” explained Matthew Ringelheim, leader of EY UK&I.
At the same time, a separate study from Ping Identity also shows how identity and governance systems that were previously designed for humans are now struggling to meet the demands of autonomous AI.
The study reveals that AI agents can combine permissions in unintentional ways to potentially bypass controls in governance blind spots.
“Currently, 58% of organizations describe their data as ‘chaos,’ which is even more concerning as AI becomes increasingly autonomous,” said Richard Bovey, head of digital data at AND.
With AI use cases now proven, it’s time for businesses to focus on proper deployment, which starts with a solid foundation of governance, data preparation, and trust.
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