Technology has become almost impossible to escape. It wakes us up, guides our journeys, recommends what we watch, helps us shop and increasingly writes, creates and makes decisions alongside us.
But are British consumers becoming uncomfortable with just how much technology has entered their lives?
New Ipsos research suggests the answer is increasingly yes.
Almost two-thirds – 62% – of British adults agree with the statement “I fear that technical progress is destroying our lives”, according to preview findings from the upcoming Ipsos Global Trends report.
That is seven percentage points higher than in 2025 and the highest level recorded since Ipsos began asking the question in 1997.
Artificial intelligence is attracting even greater scrutiny.
Only 35% of Britons currently believe AI is having a positive impact on the world, while 49% disagree.
AI Has Arrived – But Trust Hasn’t Kept Up
The speed at which AI has moved into everyday technology has been extraordinary.
AI now sits behind features in smartphones, search engines, social media, productivity software, online shopping, photography tools and customer services. Generative AI has made the technology even more visible, giving ordinary users access to systems capable of creating text, images, audio and increasingly sophisticated digital content.
Yet greater exposure does not appear to be translating automatically into greater confidence.
The percentage of Britons who think AI is having a positive impact has fallen seven points since last year. At the same time, the proportion disagreeing has risen eight points.
Britain is now among the most AI-sceptical countries included in Ipsos’ 38-country research.
At 35%, positive sentiment in Great Britain is only slightly above France’s 34% and America’s 33%.
It Isn’t Just Older People Who Are Worried
It might be tempting to assume technological anxiety is largely concentrated among older people who did not grow up with smartphones, apps and social media.
The Ipsos findings challenge that assumption.
Concern about technological progress is broadly consistent across Britain’s age groups.
There is a slight reduction in anxiety among higher earners and people with higher-level educational qualifications, but the overall picture is remarkably widespread.
That matters because it suggests people are not necessarily frightened of technology because they do not understand how to use it.
Instead, concerns may increasingly revolve around how much control users have over the technology surrounding them.
Do Consumers Feel They Have Enough Control?
Mike Clemence, Ipsos Global Trends Programme Director, believes a feeling of lost control could be important.
He said:
“With the public debate over the safety of AI raging, a preview of our latest Ipsos Global Trends data confirms a profound shift in long-term public attitudes towards technology in Britain
“It shows Britons have become more tech-sceptical, with anxiety about technical progress reaching its highest level in nearly three decades of our tracking since 1997 and attitudes hardening significantly since last year.
“An early look at our data shows almost 62% of the public now agree that “technology is destroying our lives”.
“This anxiety holds across most demographic groups, suggesting that the public aren’t simply questioning the pace of innovation; they are feeling a lack of agency and control, particularly around the roll-out and use of Artificial Intelligence.
“The key challenge for policymakers and industry leaders is building public confidence that AI advances will benefit people across society, rather than leaving many behind.
What Does This Mean for Technology Users?
The results do not necessarily mean that British consumers want technological development to stop.
Millions of people continue to use AI-powered services every day, sometimes without even realising that artificial intelligence is operating behind them.
Instead, the findings raise questions about whether users feel sufficiently involved in deciding how technology affects their lives.
Consumers increasingly have to consider what happens to their data, whether content has been generated by AI, whether an algorithm is influencing what they see and whether an automated decision can be challenged by a human.
There are also broader concerns surrounding employment, deepfakes, scams, misinformation and children’s exposure to AI-generated material.
For technology companies, addressing those concerns could become crucial to encouraging people to adopt the next generation of products.
Giving consumers understandable privacy controls, explaining when AI is being used and making it easier to reach a human when automated systems fail could prove increasingly important.
Technology’s Next Challenge Could Be Trust
The most striking finding from the Ipsos research may ultimately be its longevity.
Concern about technological progress in Britain has doubled since 2013 and has now reached its highest level since tracking began almost 30 years ago.
That period has seen smartphones, social media, cloud computing, connected homes and artificial intelligence transform everyday life.
The next decade could bring even greater change.
But if technology companies want consumers to embrace it, creating cleverer devices and more powerful AI may no longer be enough.
They may also have to give people something increasingly valuable: confidence that they remain in control.