UK Consumers Are Biggest AI Sceptics across EMEA – ServiceNow research shows how the UK is one of the most sceptical countries in EMEA when it comes to AI’s role in the customer experience (CX)
• Just 55% of UK consumers say AI will eventually detect emotions and close the gap between human and machine interaction
• 69% of UK consumers say AI chatbots fail to understand emotional cues, pushing AI to evolve beyond automation
• Two thirds (68%) of UK consumers say AI chatbots haven’t met their expectations over the past five years
In its latest Consumer Voice Report 2025, ServiceNow, the AI platform for business transformation, highlights a clear shift in consumer expectations across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) around AI in customer service. The UK, along with the rest of EMEA, demand more emotional intelligence from AI but Brits remain pessimistic about its abilities to be empathetic to customers.
Cathy Mauzaize, President, EMEA at ServiceNow, says:
“Business leaders across EMEA risk being left behind if they fail to embrace the collaboration between AI and human expertise.”
“Consumers are no longer satisfied with disconnected, inefficient service. They expect AI to streamline interactions, anticipate their needs, and complement human agents, not replace them. The companies that successfully integrate AI with human-driven customer service will not only improve efficiency but also build stronger, more trusted customer relationships.”
Consumers in the UK are the best at spotting AI across EMEA. Despite 54% of them seeing the importance of a good chatbot service, 69% see AI chatbots as efficient but emotionless, often missing nuances like tone, urgency, or frustration. Just 16% would associate these emotionless traits with human service, making the need for better emotional intelligence in AI more critical than ever.
Double Standards for AI vs. Human Service
Whilst EMEA is optimistic AI will catch-up with understanding emotions (71%), UK consumers are less confident with just 55% believing this gap between human and machine interactions will close.
This scepticism increases with age. Whilst 27% of 18–34-year-olds in the UK believe AI will never understand emotions, a staggering 62% of those aged 55+ share this doubt.
Moreover, consumer behavior presents an intriguing paradox when it comes to AI and human interaction. Ironically, some of the UK’s biggest frustrations such as long hold times (59%) and repeating information (46%) stem from human-led support. Yet over a quarter of consumers say they are most likely to choose talking to a human on the phone over other forms of channels including AI. This paradox suggests a disconnect between what people want and what they trust, as Brits are willing to put up with imperfect humans but not imperfect AI.
Damian Stirrett, Group Vice President and General Manager at ServiceNow UK & Ireland, said:
“Businesses in the UK who fail to integrate AI with human expertise will lose out fast.”
“Used correctly, AI brings huge opportunities to not just level-up the service of human agents but establish the UK as a leading market for customer experience. But with the UK proving one of the most sceptical customer bases in EMEA, businesses must make the right investment to ensure positive returns on the customer experience they deliver.”
AI Scepticism Scales with Risk
AI scepticism is impacting how UK consumers choose to interact with customer service, embracing AI for convenience in low-risk tasks, but seeking human service for sensitive situations. AI is established as a trusted channel for routine tasks like scheduling a car service (13%) or tracking a package (15%), but confidence drops when more is at stake. In contrast, just 3% of UK consumers would trust AI to close a bank account after a loved one’s death and 4% to dispute a suspicious transaction.
Whilst 24% of UK consumers who don’t currently trust AI to dispute a suspicious transaction will do so within three years, half (50%) say they’d never trust AI alone for this task, highlighting the UK’s distrust around AI customer service.
Addressing AI Pain Points
Consumers no longer want AI that just gets the job done; they want AI that understands them. Two thirds (68%) of UK consumers say AI chatbots haven’t met their expectations over the past five years, with the same proportion (67%) believing these systems have fallen short.
Bridging these gaps between consumer expectations and AI-driven customer service will be imperative if businesses are to realise AI’s full potential and remain competitive in their market.
To download the full ServiceNow Consumer Voice Report 2025 Click Here
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Methodology – Between 10th–17th January 2025, ServiceNow, the AI platform for business transformation, and Opinium conducted a survey of 17,000 nationally representative adults in the UK, Republic of Ireland (ROI), France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. 2,000 adults were representative in the UK.
