UK adults increasingly using AI tools daily or more, as concerns over bias grow alongside adoption
New research from HyperFinity reveals the extent to which UK adults believe bias exists in AI. It found that 18-24 year olds are twice as likely to report feeling ‘misunderstood, overlooked, or stereotyped’ by AI, compared with just 26% of those aged 55-65.
A survey of 2,000 UK adults shows that 51% believe gender bias exists today. Among 18-24 year olds, that figure rises to 70% - almost double the 37% recorded among those aged 55-65. With 72% of UK adults now using aItool daily or more, the findings show a marked generational divide in perceptions of AI, with younger adults more likely to identify bias and report experiencing its effects personally. This is also the demographic using AI most frequently.
The research reveals striking differences in how people perceive specific AI tools. 35% of UK adults associate ChatGPT with a male gender, while 46% describe Siri as female and 23% see it as gender neutral. This suggests people are forming different gendered perceptions of these tools, despite them having no obvious gender of their own.
These associations extend to how people describe the tools themselves. ChatGPT is described as an ‘advisor’ or ‘expert’ by 31% of UK adults, while Siri is more than three times as likely to be described as an ‘assistant’ than an ‘advisor’. Most strikingly, 10% of UK adults describe Alexa - the most female associated AI tool in the research, with 69% describing it as female - as a ‘servant’, compared to just 2.5% for ChatGPT.
The potential consequences extend into areas where people are making important decisions. 43% of UK adults have used AI for medical advice, with women more likely to do so than men (47% vs 39%). However, 10% of adults say they have personally experienced or noticed gender bias in AI around healthcare. A further 17% have encountered bias in workplace or hiring AI, with the figure rising to 24% among 18-24 year olds.
Jessie Stuart, Head of Analytics at HyperFinity, comments: “This research reflects a structural and societal problem, not an accidental one. AI learns from historical data, and that data carries the imprints of decades of unequal representation - in who built systems, who was studied, and whose needs were centred. The result is technology that can feel neutral on the surface while encoding bias at its foundations.”
“The generational gap in these findings is significant. Younger people are not just more frequent users of AI, they are encountering its limitations in ways that feel immediate and personal. That lived experience is driving a clearer-eyed view of what needs to change, and where the responsibility lies. If we are not careful, we risk undoing years of progress towards greater equality in the workplace by building existing biases into the tools increasingly being used to make decisions about people. As AI becomes more embedded in everyday life, it is increasingly important that the technology we create is representative, fair and free from bias.”
So hot right now
HyperFinity is included in RTIH’s first ever Retail Technology Hot 100 List. Launching in August, this sees us bringing you the hottest companies whose solutions and systems are helping drive the retail sector forward.
Our Founder and Editor, Scott Thompson, drew up a list of 150 companies that had consistently been on his radar over the past 12 months whilst bringing our community the latest retail tech news and views that matter. These companies operate across the omnichannel retail landscape (stores, online, mobile, supply chain, payments etc).
Our judging panel, including Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO, Holland & Barrett, Dan McGrath, JD Group Customer Operations, JD Sports, Dr. Astha Purohit, Director of Product Management, Customer Data and Identity, Walmart, and Paula Bobbett, Chief Data and Digital Officer, Boots, provided feedback on those who have the most innovative, forward thinking technology offerings and are also best addressing retailers' current challenges, painpoints, and opportunities.
The judges used the following framework when making their picks:
1. Retailer problem fit - how meaningful, strategic, and widely felt the retailer pain being addressed is.
2. Production traction in retail (2025–2026) - real named retailer deployments, pilots.
3. Innovation and defensibility - genuine technical novelty paired with a defensible competitive position.
And there was also a public vote, with thousands of members of our community of retail tech enthusiasts getting involved. Thanks to all those who took part! Based on the judging panel's feedback and the public vote, we then drew up our first ever RTIH Retail Technology Hot 100.
So, without further ado, here are the 100 hottest global retail technology ventures right now. Drum roll, please…
