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What the UK’s robot anxiety reveals about how automation will scale

Robot adoption scales with trust built through real-world exposure

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Robotics is moving from controlled industrial environments into the real-world. As these systems become more capable, adoption is no longer driven by technology alone, but by how people experience and interact with it.

The UK’s relationship with robots highlights a broader dynamic shaping the future of automation. Technology does not scale on capability alone; it also depends on confidence.

Today, 52% of UK adults say they feel worried about interacting with robots, the highest level across the nine markets surveyed (the UK, US, China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy and Spain). While only 30% report having seen or used a robot in real life.

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This gap between perception and experience is where attitudes towards robotics are forming.

This gap is crucial. As robotics moves from factories into public spaces, people’s first-hand experiences, rather than just the technology itself, will determine the pace and scale of adoption.

The data shows a simple pattern: the more visible robots are, the less people worry. In China, where 75% of adults report real-world exposure, 81% say they feel excited about robots’ future potential.

In South Korea, where anxiety is lowest at 29%, real-world exposure is significantly higher at 50%, well above the UK’s 30%. This suggests that visibility plays a key role in shaping confidence, with familiarity helping to reduce uncertainty.

The UK sits at the other end of the spectrum, where less exposure correlates with greater concern.

In short, seeing robots in action, especially how they are governed, helps trust grow.

For organizations, this means adoption depends as much on how robotics is introduced as on the technology itself. Clear, visible, well-explained systems win trust.

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Globally, 63% say they are comfortable with robots in structured environments such as factories and warehouses, where tasks and boundaries are clear. Comfort drops sharply in homes and classrooms, where roles are less defined.

Acceptance is closely tied to how well the robot’s role is understood. Clear purpose and familiar environments make people more at ease, while uncertainty rises in less-defined settings.

For this reason, comfort is highest in structured environments like factories and warehouses (63% globally), and declines in homes and classrooms, where expectations are less defined.

Designing robots with clear roles, boundaries, and visible cues helps people understand and accept them. In warehouses, for instance, robots often have marked routes and predictable movement, making their purpose obvious to workers.

Importantly, anxiety around robots is not primarily driven by fears of job loss. Instead, security risk is the most commonly cited concern.

Globally, 51% of adults say they are worried about robots being hacked or misused, compared with 41% who are concerned about job replacement and 41% about malfunction or harm.

This reflects a shift in how robotics is being understood. Rather than focusing on whether machines will replace human work, attention is turning to how these systems are controlled, how they operate, and how risks are managed.

Confidence is closely tied to governance and predictability. Where systems are perceived as secure, well-regulated, and operating within clear boundaries, concern is lower. Where those elements are less visible or less understood, uncertainty tends to increase.

For the UK, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Higher levels of concern may reflect lower exposure, but they also highlight where attention is needed. As robotics becomes more present in everyday environments, familiarity is likely to play a key role in shaping perception.

Bridging the gap between exposure and trust is essential. As people see and experience robots in action, confidence and adoption will rise.

This is not resistance to robotics. It is a signal that, how these systems are introduced and experienced will determine how widely they are embraced.

As automation continues to develop, the pace of adoption will be shaped by how quickly confidence builds, and how naturally these systems integrate into everyday work and life.

This article was produced as part of Tech Radar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Tech Radar Pro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

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