New research from Granicus reveals a widespread disconnect between the public sector and citizens: AI adoption gathers pace but public trust lags way behind
According to new research by Granicus, a leading provider of customer engagement and experience technology, the majority (57%) of public sector workers are now either fully embedding AI driven services or experimenting with them across their organisation. However, 69% of citizens say they are not aware of any public services currently using AI and half (49%) do not trust or aren’t comfortable with public services using it.
The findings reveal a growing disconnect between how widely artificial intelligence is now being adopted inside the public sector and how little the public is aware or trusts its use. The new research builds on Granicus’ 2025 digital readiness whitepaper and gathers insight from 500 public sector workers and 1,000 UK citizens.
Based on usage over the past 12 months, 55% of citizens say they currently trust digital public services, suggesting that confidence could be severely undermined if AI is introduced without sufficient visibility.
Citizens’ hesitation towards AI is also reflected in perceptions of priority. Only 17% believe AI should be a focus for the public sector over the next two to three years to deliver better digital services. When public sector workers were asked which technologies are most needed to close the gap between the digital services provided today and those required by 2028, AI was highlighted by nearly one in three (30%), along with cybersecurity (34%) and big data analytics (22%).
The majority (62%) of public sector workers also said their existing digital tools could be used more effectively and the biggest barrier is lack of training (42%). When asked which skills they personally need more support with, AI literacy was the top response (39%).
Ian Roberts, UK Managing Director of Granicus, says: “The level of engagement and utilisation of AI and automation across government services shows clear progress, but our research also highlights the work needed to bring citizens on that journey. This extends to the role of training and addressing AI literacy which our research highlights. This will be key over the next 12 months, in not only bringing about greater efficiencies for local authorities but also improving digital services, enhancing accessibility and allowing the public to self-serve and access the support they need.”
The findings from the report outline five key observations and learnings for the future of public sector digital transformation:
- Satisfaction is up but confidence for the future is low. Happiness with current digital services has improved moving from 46% to 56% for public sector workers. But confidence about readiness for the future is declining among workers (from 61% in 2025 to 47% this year) and citizens (42% currently not confident).
- The role of leadership in shaping digital services in the future. Leadership, communication and organisational alignment remain significant barriers. The majority of workers (54%) still believe this impedes the progress of digital initiatives, with little change over the past 12 months.
- AI adoption is accelerating faster than public understanding and trust. 57% of public sector workers say AI driven services are either already fully embedded or being experimented with across their organisation, but 69% of citizens say they are not aware of any public services currently using AI and half (49%) do not trust or aren’t comfortable with public services using AI.
- Skills and capability are proving just as important as the technology. The majority (62%) of public sector workers agree that the digital tools they already have could be used more effectively. Lack of training is the single biggest barrier to using existing technology effectively, cited by 42% of workers. When asked which skills they personally need more support with, AI literacy is the top response (39%). 27% of citizens prioritise staff training as the most important focus for improving digital public services over the next two to three years.
- The balance between inclusion and accessibility. 58% of public sector workers believe their organisation’s digital services are fully accessible to people with low digital skills or disabilities but from the citizen perspective, 29% say they have personally experienced difficulty accessing digital public services in the past year. Accessibility also ranks highly in citizens’ priorities for improvement: 24% say accessibility should be prioritised, placing it above AI (17%) and interoperability (8%).
To read the full report which builds on the findings from last year and observes if priorities for digital transformation across public services are aligned across local and central government, housing, the NHS and perspectives from UK citizens, visit: https://granicus.com/uk/resource/digital-confidence-in-public-services/