One in Three UK Insurance Customers Accept AI - If Humans Stay in Control
Guidewire released survey findings showing that 30 percent of UK insurance customers would accept AI tools setting their policy prices, provided insurers maintain human oversight and regulatory safeguards. The annual European Insurance Consumer Survey polled 4,004 consumers across the UK, France, Germany, and Spain between January 13 and 22, 2026.
Customer comfort with AI rises when they see a direct benefit. Thirty-eight percent accept AI assisting with document completion and policy applications. Thirty-nine percent are comfortable with AI supporting human call handlers answering customer questions - figures unchanged from the previous year.
Three priorities emerged consistently across UK responses: human intervention (33 percent), transparency (26 percent), and third-party regulation (23 percent). These demands signal what insurers must address to expand AI deployment responsibly.
Daily AI Users Show Markedly Different Attitudes
People who use AI tools daily are twice as likely as the general population to trust automated insurance pricing. Sixty-three percent of daily AI users accept "human-free" policy decisions, compared with 30 percent of all UK consumers.
The gap widens on other applications. Eighty percent of daily users would allow AI to complete insurance documents, versus 38 percent overall. For claims decisions and valuations, 59.5 percent of daily users accept AI involvement compared with 27 percent of the broader population.
Even among frequent AI users, transparency (30.6 percent) and keeping humans involved (39 percent) remain essential for trust.
What Insurers Must Do
Guidewire's Group Vice President Charles Clarke said insurers should work with technology providers and regulators to meet customer expectations. "When customers clearly see AI's value, they are significantly more likely to accept it within the insurance process," he said.
Michael Cook, Partner at PwC, emphasized that the findings show customers want efficiency alongside human judgment. "As AI becomes more embedded in daily life, insurers must prioritise transparency and robust regulation to maintain consumer trust," Cook said.
The survey suggests insurers face a practical challenge: deploying AI effectively while maintaining the human touchpoints customers demand. The gap between daily AI users and the general population indicates that familiarity drives acceptance - but not unconditionally.
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