Businesses face a lot of pressure to “do something with AI”. Use it to improve efficiency, automate customer service, create content faster, reduce administration and save money. All perfectly reasonable business objectives.
But we would add another question to the list.
What will your customers think?
Because our latest Northern Ireland consumer research suggests that how a business uses AI could influence how people judge the organisation itself.
Customers Are Looking At The Human Consequences
One of the strongest findings in our research concerned jobs.
- 88% believed AI could threaten employment.
Our depth interviews showed that this wasn’t simply an abstract worry about the future. Some people considered how an organisation treated employees when deciding how they felt about its use of AI.
One participant told us:
“I would probably stop using a company if they started to lay people off to replace them with AI.”
Another said:
“All new development is important but not at the detriment of actual people.”
For a senior management team planning AI investment, that’s worth thinking about. An efficiency decision inside the business can become a reputation issue outside it.
Don’t Remove The Human Route Without Understanding Its Value
Human contact was another important part of the story. People were more cautious about AI when the consequences became more personal, financial or important. Trust was affected by accuracy, transparency, data security and whether somebody remained responsible.
So before automating a customer journey, we’d want to understand where customers actually value human contact. There may be routine tasks they’re perfectly happy for AI to handle. There may be other moments when reaching a person is an important part of feeling reassured. Consumer research can identify that boundary.
Transparency Could Become Part Of The Customer Experience
Our findings also suggest that businesses need to think carefully about how they explain AI.
Customers may want to know:
- Where is AI being used?
- What information can it access?
- How are its outputs checked?
- Who is responsible if something goes wrong?
- Can I reach a person?
The research identified visible human accountability as particularly important in higher-consequence settings.
This means AI strategy isn’t only an IT decision. It can affect customer experience, communications, reputation and trust.
Test Customer Reaction Before You Scale
This is where we think consumer insight can save businesses from making expensive assumptions. Before rolling an AI application out widely, test it.
- Show customers what you’re proposing.
- Explain how it works.
- Explore what they like.
- Find out what worries them.
- Test different explanations and safeguards.
- See whether it changes how they feel about your brand.
Our research recommends testing customer response to proposed AI uses, language and safeguards before scaling because different applications can create very different levels of concern, even among the same audience.
That is a much safer starting point than assuming customers will welcome something simply because the technology works.
Consumer Insight Helps Protect The Investment
AI offers businesses some genuinely exciting opportunities. But implementation is only one side of the decision. Customer acceptance is another.
At FN Research, our job is to help organisations understand that human side of the market.
- What will customers accept?
- What will build confidence?
- Where might resistance appear?
- What needs explaining?
- And could the decision affect consideration, trust or purchasing behaviour?
Those questions turn consumer insight into market intelligence. And they can help senior teams make better AI decisions before significant money, time and reputation are committed.
These findings come from FN Research’s Northern Ireland’s AI Reality study, based on primary research conducted during July and August 2026 with 130 Northern Ireland adults and 12 one-to-one depth interviews.
To read part 1 in this series “AI is everwhere but do your customers actually trust it” click here
To read part 3 ” Before you invest in AI, find out where it actullay adds value” click here
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can using AI affect customer trust?
A: Yes, depending on how it is used. FN Research’s Northern Ireland study found concerns around accuracy, employment, data, human contact and accountability. Trust varied according to the task and possible consequences. (Northern Ireland’s AI Reality- FN Resarch’s White Paper September 2026)
Q: Should businesses tell customers when they use AI?
A: The research indicates that clear explanations can help build confidence. Organisations should consider explaining what AI does, what information it accesses, how outputs are checked and who remains accountable. (Northern Ireland’s AI Reality- FN Resarch’s White Paper September 2026)
Q: How can a business test customer reaction to AI?
A: Consumer research can test reactions to a proposed AI use, the language used to explain it and the safeguards offered before the technology is scaled. (Northern Ireland’s AI Reality – FN Resarch’s White Paper September 2026)