- A quarter of GenAI users have used the tool for advice about health or personal problems
- Human interaction in customer service is still the preference for consumers
- Four in five (81%) UK consumers don’t want AI to replace actors in film and TV
A quarter (26%) of GenAI users, have asked GenAI for health advice. Of those users, 38% believe the information it produces is always factually accurate, according to the latest Digital Consumer Trends survey by Deloitte.
Similarly, a quarter of users (26%) asked a GenAI tool for advice about personal problems, with 42% believing the information it produces is always factually accurate. This is alongside a general rise in uptake of usage as 63% of UK adults now have used a GenAI application – a 37% increase on last year.
One in five GenAI users (20%) have used it for diet or fitness advice, and 10% have used it as they would use a therapist. Nearly one in ten users (9%) have used it as a companion or someone to talk to, with 6% using such tools for advice about romance.
Despite most consumers now having tried a GenAI application, only 10% use standalone GenAI apps every day. This is also despite consumer GenAI apps having been launched well over three years ago. Consumers in Greater London are nearly twice as likely (18%) to use a standalone GenAI app on a daily basis when compared to the rest of the country.
Human customer service
In customer service, there is still a preference for human interaction, with most consumers (61%) claiming to be less inclined to engage if they knew they were conversing with a GenAI assistant. However, opinion varies depending on the specific task. Consumers are more likely to feel comfortable with AI-powered customer services when cancelling an order (30%), for example, whereas when needing to make a complaint, just 11% would feel comfortable engaging with AI instead of a human.
Paul Lee, head of industry insight at Deloitte, said: "GenAI has captured the attention of UK consumers, but for many, use of the AI tool remains more experimental than consequential. A growing number of consumers are trusting AI with more serious tasks, such as personal health advice, and even a tool to keep them company. But overall daily use still remains very low compared with other forms of consumer applications like social media.
“For businesses looking to use AI to streamline or improve customer interactions, they should be mindful that many customers have little experience with AI. Therefore, their fluency may be low, and for more emotional interactions like a complaint, you may never be able to replicate the human touch.”
Audience acceptance of AI in film and TV
The use of AI in film and TV is more likely to be accepted by audiences when used for behind-the-scenes and operational tasks. Nearly six in ten (59%) consumers stated they were comfortable with AI being used for language translation and subtitles, and 45% comfortable with its use for administrative tasks unrelated to content creation.
However, audiences are notably more wary of AI in the creative process, with four in five viewers (81%) believing it shouldn’t be used to replace prominent actors and 62% believing it shouldn’t help write scripts or screenplay.
Lee added: “When it comes to film and TV production, audiences seem more accepting of AI for repetitive, non-core creative tasks. However, they want humans on screen, on audio and with the pen. There is certainly a general feeling of consumers being happy with AI being used in the background but not foreground when it comes to film and TV.”
The resurgence of video subscriptions
Consumer access to paid video platforms has surpassed the previous high in 2021 of 76%. After a dip to 73% in 2023, the figure has rebounded to 78%, three percentage points higher than last year. There is now an average of 2.86 TV and film subscriptions per household, up from an average of 1.45 in 2018 and 2.71 last year. This has been driven in-part by a focus on aggregation. In 2026, 25% of paid video subscriptions was acquired via a third-party, not directly from the video platform – up from 20% in 2025.
As consumers gain access to more video platforms, however, content discovery can become a source of friction. Two in five (40%) consumers typically start a search for video content by opening a specific app and searching there, with 36% claiming to open a specific app to browse video recommendations.
Lee added: “Once viewers fail to find something to watch in their first app, they quickly move on to others, suggesting that there is a hierarchy of apps. Being at the top of that hierarchy is crucial for video platforms to have their content surface to audiences.”
