Guidewire, a provider of cloud software for the insurance industry, has published its 2026 European Insurance Consumer Survey, finding that around a third of UK customers are broadly comfortable with insurers deploying AI.
The research found that 30% of UK respondents said they would be content with their insurer using AI to determine the price of a policy. Acceptance climbs when consumers identify a direct benefit: 38% would welcome AI assistance in completing insurance documents and policy applications, while 39% are comfortable with AI supporting human call handlers. Both figures consistent with the prior year’s results.
Three priorities emerged as the conditions consumers attach to their acceptance: human intervention (33%), transparency (26%), and independent, third-party regulation (23%).
The survey also uncovered a pronounced divide between everyday AI users and the wider population. Daily AI users were found to be twice as likely as the general public to trust fully automated insurance pricing, with 63% comfortable with human-free policy decisions compared with just 30% of the broader UK population.
Similarly, 80% of daily AI users would be happy for the technology to handle insurance document completion, against 38% of all UK consumers. More than half of daily AI users (59.5%) said they were comfortable with AI deciding and processing claims or assessing claim value, versus 27% among the overall UK population.
Even within this more receptive group, transparency (30.6%) and keeping a human in the loop (39%) remained highly ranked as conditions for trust.
Guidewire group vice president Charles Clarke said, “AI is playing an increasingly important role in the insurance industry, and customers are becoming more comfortable with its use. Our report shows that when customers clearly see its value, they are significantly more likely to accept AI within the insurance process.
“To further enhance acceptance, customers are calling for greater transparency, regulation, and human oversight. Insurers should work collaboratively with one another, with technology providers, and with regulators to meet these expectations and build lasting trust in how AI is used whether those capabilities come from their core platforms, embedded assistants, or broader AI partners.”
PwC partner Michael Cook said, “The findings underscore a clear desire among UK customers for a balanced approach to AI in insurance – embracing the efficiencies and convenience it offers, while ensuring that human judgement remains integral to decision-making especially as the use of AI moves beyond delivering efficiency into more value additive work and ultimately, operating differently.
“As AI becomes more embedded in daily life, insurers must prioritise transparency and robust regulation to maintain consumer trust and confidence including the adoption of the appropriate governance and frameworks and exploring the role of AI to ‘manage AI’. Striking this balance will be key to unlocking AI’s full potential in delivering fairer, more personalised insurance services and moving to a very different way of operating with a combined people and agent workforce.”
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