One in three UK insurance customers open to AI use, but trust hinges on human oversight
About 30% of UK insurance customers would accept AI pricing their policies, according to a Guidewire survey of 2,026 European consumers published this month. Acceptance rises when customers see direct benefits: 38% welcome AI help completing insurance documents, and 39% are comfortable with AI assisting human call handlers.
The survey reveals three conditions customers attach to accepting AI: human intervention (33%), transparency (26%), and independent regulation (23%).
Daily AI users show markedly different attitudes
A sharp divide emerges between people who use AI daily and the general public. Daily AI users are twice as likely to trust fully automated pricing-63% versus 30% of all UK consumers.
The gap widens for claims decisions. Nearly 60% of daily AI users would accept AI handling claims assessment, compared with 27% of the broader population. For document completion, 80% of daily AI users approve versus 38% of all consumers.
Even among this more receptive group, oversight matters. Transparency (30.6%) and human involvement (39%) remain top conditions for trust.
What insurers should do
Insurers need to work with technology providers and regulators to meet customer expectations, Guidewire said. The findings suggest that transparency, regulation, and human oversight are non-negotiable for building trust in AI for insurance operations.
As AI embeds deeper into daily operations-moving beyond efficiency gains into claims processing and underwriting decisions-insurers must prioritize robust governance frameworks. The balance between automation and human judgment will determine whether customers accept AI-driven insurance services.
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