Berlin: Over half (52 per cent) of consumers globally are willing to pay more for brands that are transparent about how they use artificial intelligence (AI) with their data, accepting an average premium of seven per cent, according to the second annual State of Digital Trust 2026 Report commissioned by Usercentrics.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Germany recorded the highest level of willingness to pay for AI transparency, with 73 per cent of consumers prepared to pay a nine per cent premium. Conversely, Italy recorded the lowest average premium at five per cent, though 42 per cent of consumers expressed readiness to pay more for AI transparency. 'Consumers are making purchasing decisions based on how brands handle their data, and over half are willing to pay more to the ones that get it right. The brands that move first will not just earn the premium. They will earn a category position that is almost impossible to compete against once it is established,' said Usercentrics Strategy and Market Intelligence representative, Tilman Harmeling, in a statement.

The report also highlighted that 47 per cent of consumers surveyed had taken actions with direct revenue implications in the past six months due to concerns about data usage in AI. These actions included cancelling subscriptions, switching to competitors, or reducing their spending. Consumers have increasingly shifted from passive acceptance to active decision-making, driven by a steady accumulation of data breaches, AI training controversies, and cookie banner enforcement actions.

The findings further revealed that 71 per cent of consumers consider AI-driven personalisation intrusive, while 48 per cent click 'accept all' on cookie banners less frequently than they did three years ago, up from 46 per cent in 2025. Privacy-aware consumers were also found to be nearly three times more comfortable with personalised online experiences than those who were less aware of privacy issues.

Conducted by Sapio Research, the survey polled 11,000 consumers across seven markets, namely the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden, with fieldwork conducted in March 2026.