The BBC has published updated findings from research conducted with Ipsos that indicates one in three people now use AI weekly, up from around one in ten in 2023.
The data also points to sharply rising use among older audiences, with the biggest increase among those aged 55+ (250% increase) followed by those aged 45-54 (220% increase).
Awareness is now virtually universal, with 98% of UK adults having at least heard of Gen AI, in comparison to 50% a year earlier. Significantly, more than half (58%) of the population have used it, and one in three (35%) use it weekly (this was 1 in 10 a year ago).
Compared to the last survey in 2023, people remain happiest when GenAI is used as an assistive, behind-the-scenes tool. They become more wary when it starts to influence expression or editorial judgement, and they are most demanding of all when it comes to news. What has changed is that expectations have hardened: audiences now draw sharper lines, particularly in sensitive or emotionally charged situations.
Since 2023, the biggest change is the way audiences decide whether GenAI feels acceptable in media. Previously, the format itself carried much of the judgement: audio tended to feel more acceptable than video, while news drew the strongest caution. By 2025, audiences are making more fine-grained assessments. They instinctively judge the emotional and editorial stakes of the content, and they pay close attention to whether GenAI is merely supporting production in the background or actively shaping what they see and hear.
The broadcaster is also continuing to develop AI-assisted production tools with human oversight. One example is My Club Daily, a pilot that uses generative AI to turn existing BBC sports reporting into short, club-specific audio updates for BBC Sounds.
In news workflows, the BBC’s Style Assist project has been referenced in industry reporting as a system that reformats Local Democracy Reporting Service copy into BBC house style, with a senior journalist reviewing output before publication.
The BBC is rolling out a themed week of programming on artificial intelligence as new audience research suggests AI is rapidly becoming part of everyday life, while concerns remain about its role in media.
AI Unpacked Week will run from 2-8 March across TV, iPlayer, radio, BBC Sounds and online, bringing together factual and scripted programming designed to explain how the technology is being used and what it could mean for work and society.
