July 01, 2025
UK Consumers Worry AI Turns Their Personal Data Into a Commodity
“If something is free, then you are the product.”
The saying, dating back to the 1970s, has never felt more true to British consumers, who increasingly fear their personal data is being mined and sold to feed AI systems.
A new report from privacy tech firm Usercentrics reveals that 61% of UK consumers feel they’ve “become the product,” while 73% admit they don’t fully understand how companies handle their data, fueling a deepening crisis of digital trust.
Accept All or Save Preferences?
Nearly half of respondents now click “accept all” on cookie banners less often than they did three years ago, reflecting a more cautious approach at the very first interaction with brands.
Transparency emerged as the single most important driver of trust for UK consumers, who want clear explanations of what data is collected and how it is used. Strong data security and the ability to control or limit sharing also ranked high on their list of expectations. Without these assurances, many fear they are little more than raw material fueling corporate AI ambitions.
“This isn’t a backlash, it’s a reset. For too long, user data privacy has been defined as a trade-off between growth and compliance. If privacy and consent aren’t placed at the heart of marketing strategies, especially as AI adoption accelerates, companies risk losing consumer trust entirely,” said Adelina Peltea, CMO at Usercentrics.
Trust in companies varies widely by sector: banks (62%) and public institutions (47%) retain relatively high levels of trust, but confidence drops when it comes to social media platforms (27%), hospitality (22%), and automotive firms (22%). Even the regulators expected to protect consumers face scepticism, with only 52% of UK respondents trusting them to hold businesses accountable, while 20% doubt regulators’ ability or willingness to enforce privacy rules.
