Poles Want AI in Finance, but Only Under Full Control, Autopay Survey Finds

Poles are increasingly using AI tools in banking and finance, but they have no intention of handing algorithms full control over their money. A new survey commissioned by Autopay shows that acceptance of artificial intelligence drops sharply as it approaches the point where the software would independently decide to spend money.

What the Survey Found

The "Finances of Polish Women and Men 2026" survey, carried out by the SATISFACE research firm on behalf of Autopay, covered 1,686 respondents polled using the CAWI method, meaning online. The results were published in late August 2026 and reveal a clear gap between declared familiarity with AI and willingness to entrust it with real financial decisions.

Awareness of the term artificial intelligence itself rose from 59 percent in 2023 to 84 percent today, showing how quickly AI has entered public consciousness. Even so, fewer than a third of respondents name finance as the area where they feel the impact of algorithms most, ranking it behind social media, online shopping, and education.

The Limits of Acceptance

The survey's authors describe this as selective openness. Poles readily accept AI when it works in the background, but resist giving it autonomy when it comes to directly handling their money. 60 percent of respondents would accept AI being used to detect fraud and suspicious anomalies on their accounts, and 45 percent would be open to algorithms supporting online shopping.

The picture looks entirely different when it comes to payments themselves. Only 20 percent of respondents would agree to let AI carry out transactions on its own, while as many as 72 percent say such automation would worry them. 36 percent of consumers explicitly require physically clicking a button to approve every transaction, no matter how trusted the system is.

What Consumers Expect

Nearly 80 percent of respondents expect full oversight of AI actions and to be asked for consent before every significant financial decision. A key condition for acceptance is the ability to immediately withdraw consent for the system's operation, required by 34 percent of respondents, along with a simple complaint procedure in case the algorithm makes a mistake.

Polish women and men are, to a significant extent, open to AI-based financial services - Marcin Woźny, Senior Product Discovery Director at Autopay

Woźny stresses that digital assistants in finance will need to operate within precisely defined scenarios, under constant user control and with clearly assigned responsibility for any errors. This responds to consumer expectations, who don't want a black box deciding on their budget without any possibility of intervention.

Regulation and Risk Understanding

The survey also points to a gap in trust toward the regulatory mechanism itself. About 60 percent of respondents consider current legal regulations insufficient to ensure safety in the context of AI in finance, and only half of respondents say they understand what artificial intelligence actually is and how it works.

This gap between usage and understanding matters for financial institutions, banks, and fintechs planning to roll out AI agents. Customers are willing to try new tools, but they expect transparency in how the algorithm operates and clear information about when a decision was made automatically and when it requires their input.

Implications for the Polish Market

For banks and fintechs operating in Poland, the Autopay survey results signal how AI-based products need to be designed so as not to alienate customers. Deploying an AI agent that carries out payments on its own without the option to reverse a decision could meet resistance from most users, even if the system technically works correctly and safely.

This finding fits a broader trend visible in the Polish financial market, where more and more institutions are testing AI agents in customer service, fraud detection, and credit risk assessment, while still keeping human oversight over final decisions. Autopay's data shows that this approach matches consumer expectations rather than being merely regulatory caution on the part of institutions.