Nearly half of UK consumers already question whether messages are genuine as EU AI Act deadline forces AI disclosure

LONDON, July 30, 2026 – With Article 50 of the EU AI Act taking effect on 2 August 2026, research from Exclaimer, the global leader in email signature management, suggests UK consumers don't need much convincing that businesses should be upfront about how they communicate. 

Almost half (46%) of UK adults say they've questioned whether a message they received was genuine or legitimate, and 43% have questioned whether a wider communication was genuine, according to Exclaimer's survey of 1,000 UK adults. More than half (53%) say the platform a message arrives on affects how much they trust it, and 47% say it affects whether the message feels authentic at all. 

"While the EU AI Act will require businesses to disclose AI system usage in customer conversations, our research shows that people are already questioning the authenticity of messages. Regulation is simply catching up with instinct," said Ed Bodey, General Counsel at Exclaimer. “Nearly half of UK adults already question what lands in their inbox, and people are conscious of the giveaways in emails, whether it’s a correct company domain or a strong signature. Businesses must continue to prioritise trust in communications regardless of changes in regulation, because even the smallest detail can make or break a customer relationship.” 

AI’s evolving role in communications 

As the EU AI Act approaches enforcement, the role of AI in everyday communication is expanding from editing words to managing impressions. Half (50%) of UK adults now use AI in some aspect of their communications, most commonly to improve grammar and spelling (cited by 22% of respondents) or make their writing sound more professional (22%). Others increasingly use it to shape how they come across, with 11% using AI to sound more confident, 13% to soften difficult messages and 7% to avoid awkward conversations altogether. 

While AI is becoming more prevalent in communications, its usage falls sharply with age. Just 26% of UK adults aged 65 and over use AI anywhere in their communications, compared with 76% of 25-34-year-olds. At the same time, unfamiliarity with AI tools breeds distrust, particularly amongst older consumers: 51% of those 65 and over have questioned whether a message was genuine, against 31% of 18-24-year-olds. The generational gap is sharpest around the more delicate uses: almost a quarter (24%) of UK Gen Z consumers use AI to soften a difficult message, and 16% to avoid an awkward conversation altogether, compared with just 4% and 2% of Boomers respectively. 

The channel matters as much as the disclosure 

When a message's authenticity is questioned, consumers are also thinking about the platform it was sent via. People hop between platforms without a second thought: a last-minute plan goes to a phone call (33%) or WhatsApp (28%), a joke or a bit of news goes to WhatsApp (36%) or a social media DM (13%). But the instinct changes the moment something actually matters. Over half (54%) of UK adults have kept a message specifically so they could refer back to it later, and 44% have deliberately chosen email over another platform to create a permanent record. 

This reliance on email for important information is placing a greater emphasis on trust. It is the preferred channel for a formal complaint (69%), for an update from an employer covering benefits or policy changes (58%), and for a job application or work opportunity (44%). Even healthcare information or results tip towards email over a phone call, with 32% opting for email compared with 20% who'd rather be told over the phone. 

Email also gives more opportunities for businesses to show markers of trust. As phishing remains the most common cyber threat facing UK businesses, and AI is making fake messages harder to spot, consumers need clear signs that an email is trustworthy. Over half (53%) of UK adults look for a professional company email address, 51% want to see full contact details, and a third (33%) look for a clear sender name. 

You can access Exclaimer's full When it Matters: How People Really Communicate study here, and the blog with the UK findings here. 

About Exclaimer

Exclaimer is the global leader in email signature management for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Its cloud platform enables organizations to centrally manage and automate email signatures and video meeting branding, ensuring consistent corporate identity, reducing brand and compliance risk, and meeting regulatory requirements across everyday business communications.

Built for IT and valued by Marketing and Compliance teams, Exclaimer eliminates manual updates, enforces brand governance, and gives organizations greater control over their most critical business communication channels.

Exclaimer is trusted by more than 9 million users across 80,000+ organizations worldwide, including Sony, Mattel, Bank of America, NBC, the Government of Canada, the BBC, and the Academy Awards.

Learn more at www.exclaimer.com or follow Exclaimer on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). 

Methodology: Research was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Exclaimer between 26 May and 2 June 2026. The survey polled 2,000 adults across the UK and US, with results nationally representative by age, gender and region in each market. 

Media relations contact:

Exclaimer: [email protected]

UK contact: [email protected]