UK AI Trends 2026: Adoption Grows Amid Concerns

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday life. According to our 2026 Allianz Pulse Survey, more than half of UK AI users now use the technology at least partly for work or study. This places the UK among Europe's most active users of AI in the workplace. Yet despite widespread adoption, public sentiment remains cautious, particularly when it comes to jobs, misinformation, and loss of human control.

Summary

Key Takeaways

The UK is one of Europe's strongest performers for employer-led AI training. With 27% of employed respondents having received AI training through work, the UK ranks second only to the US (30%).
Public attitudes remain cautious, with concern about AI's impact on jobs outweighing positive sentiment.
Britons are the strongest supporters of AI regulation among all countries surveyed, highlighting growing demand for safeguards as AI develops.

The UK is embracing AI, especially at work

AI adoption in the UK has moved beyond experimentation. Among people who use AI, 51% report using it at least partly for work or study, one of the highest rates in this year's Allianz Pulse survey. Among AI users, 31% use AI across both personal and professional contexts, one of the highest shares in the survey. This suggests the technology is becoming embedded in everyday working life.

The UK is ahead of many European peers in AI training

More than a quarter of employed UK respondents say they have already received AI training through work – extrapolated to the wider workforce, this represents approximately 9.45 million employees nationwide. This places the UK among the strongest-performing countries in the survey. UK employees are receiving AI training more widely than many European peers, helping organisations build skills as adoption grows.

High adoption has not translated into confidence

Despite strong usage rates, UK attitudes towards AI remain cautious. The report finds that public sentiment becomes increasingly negative as the focus shifts from personal AI use to its impact on the economy and labour market. Over half of UK respondents rated their overall attitudes toward AI as negative (54%), while only 17% were positive. Across all countries surveyed, women are more likely than men to hold negative views of AI (56% vs 48%), while younger respondents tend to be more enthusiastic about the technology than older generations.

Many in the UK anticipate significant changes to tasks and ways of working over the next five years. While 8% expect their job to disappear entirely, 45% expect AI to either replace significant parts of their role or assist and support their work.

Concerns extend beyond jobs

The public's concerns are not limited to employment. UK respondents identified misinformation and manipulation (24%), job losses (20%), and loss of human control (20%) among their biggest worries. At the same time, the UK records the strongest support for AI regulation of all countries surveyed, highlighting growing demand for safeguards that balance innovation with accountability.

AI needs stronger guardrails: Public sentiment favouring AI regulation by country

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	Country	*Net regulation score (%)**
1	UK	85
2	Spain	82
2	Italy	82
3	Germany	77
3	Austria	77
4	France	75
5	Poland	72
5	US	72

* Net regulation is the share wanting strict or some regulation minus the share wanting none.

What does this mean for the UK?

While the UK is among Europe's most active AI users and one of the strongest performers for workplace AI training, concerns about its wider economic and social impact remain high. As AI moves further into workplaces and everyday life, the challenge will be ensuring that productivity gains are matched by investment in skills, workforce adaptation and public trust.

To learn more about AI adoption and sentiment across Europe and the US, check out the full 2026 Allianz Pulse Survey here.

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