Numbers:
— 50% trust AI to find the best price. But only 18% trust it to act in their interests, and 15% to sort things out if something goes wrong.
— 19% trust AI for everyday purchases. A live consultant — 55%.
— 69% do not trust an agent, even when it follows their own rules.
— 60% will abandon an agent after one mistake.
— 59% will not entrust their money to anyone — neither a bank nor a tech giant.
I work with AI every day, building bots and automations. No mysticism. But buy something for me? No, thanks. Find a price, compare, send options — yes, AI does that great. But I press the 'pay' button myself. By hand. Not because I'm afraid it's stupid — but because it's MY money, and I want to see WHAT and WHO gets it a second before the charge.
Letting AI advise is easy. As soon as it gets into your wallet, trust plummets to zero. 44% said: I won't use it, no matter how much it saves. This is not technophobia. It's normal — trust in money is built over years, and collapses with one mistake. Those same 60%.
We've reached a point where AI can technically order tickets and groceries on its own. But people still reach for the 'confirm' checkbox. And rightly so.
Source: ACI Worldwide / YouGov, June 2026
