AI in streaming entertainment: UK audiences want assistance, but not AI-generated content

Artificial intelligence has moved from the margins of the media industry to the centre of it. Streaming platforms use algorithms to recommend what to watch next. Subtitles are generated automatically. Trailers are edited by machine learning tools. And, increasingly, production studios are experimenting with AI-generated scripts, voices, and even digital actors.

But how far are UK audiences willing to follow?

New research from YouGov Surveys: Serviced into UK video viewing behaviour suggests there is a clear line in the sand. Viewers are broadly comfortable with AI improving their experience,  but far less comfortable when it steps into the creative spotlight.

Awareness of AI in streaming is uneven

Just over half (55%) of UK adults say they are aware that TV and video services use AI to recommend specific content to them. That leaves a sizeable minority who either don’t know or aren’t sure that recommendation engines are AI-driven.

For broadcasters and streaming platforms, this matters. Personalisation has become a cornerstone of the modern streaming proposition, yet a significant share of the audience may not even realise it’s happening.

Personalisation is welcome but not worth paying for

While awareness varies, appetite for some degree of personalisation is present. Almost half of UK adults (46%) say they would like their video media experience to be personalised to them.

However, the enthusiasm has limits. Just 6% say they would pay more for personalised recommendations. Nearly nine in ten (87%) would not.

In other words, AI-powered recommendations may be expected, but they are seen as part of the core service, not a premium add-on.

This has implications for monetisation strategies. For streaming platforms operating in an increasingly price-sensitive environment, AI-driven personalisation is unlikely to unlock new revenue on its own. It is better positioned as a value enhancer than a revenue driver.

Comfortable with AI assistance, wary of AI creativity

When it comes to specific uses of AI in video content, UK audiences draw a distinction between assistance and authorship.

Viewers are most comfortable with AI being used in supportive roles such as translating speech into subtitles or helping surface relevant content. By contrast, audiences are least comfortable with AI being used to generate actors or create core elements of films and television programmes.

This suggests that while AI is broadly accepted in operational roles, its use in lieu of human actors and scriptwriters raises different concerns.

Trust is the real barrier

Perhaps the most striking finding is how reluctant audiences are to engage with AI-generated content outright.

Only 26% of UK adults say they would engage with content if they knew it was created or co-created by AI. A majority say they would not (53%).

Concerns about AI-generated content are widespread. Authenticity is among the most frequently cited worries (67%), alongside fears about misleading content (62%) and the overall quality of AI-generated material (51%). Issues such as job displacement (62%) and ethical implications (50%) are also commonly mentioned. Only a small minority say they have no concerns at all (7%).

And when it comes to transparency, there is overwhelming consensus: 91% of UK adults think platforms should be required to clearly label AI-generated content.

Artificial intelligence is already embedded in the UK’s streaming ecosystem. But this research suggests that audiences are not rejecting AI wholesale. Instead, they are negotiating its role. They are willing to let algorithms recommend the next episode. They are less willing to let those algorithms write it.

Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online on October 23-25, 2025, with a nationally representative sample of 2,035 adults (aged 16+ years) in Great Britain, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, gender, education, region and social grade to be representative of all adults in Great Britain (16 years or older) and reflect the latest ONS population estimates.