In an increasingly digital world, security isn't just a feature. It's the foundation of trust.
Gaining this trust, however, is becoming more difficult. While organizations are eager to use AI to enhance customer experiences, our Auth0 Customer Identity Trends Report 2025 reveals a critical disconnect: Consumers don’t trust AI agents with their personal data, yet.
Organizations that close the gap between AI innovation and user confidence are better poised for success in the age of AI; those that don't face a rapidly widening chasm.
Drawing on a global survey of 6,750 consumers across nine countries and anonymized operational telemetry from the Auth0 platform, this report offers a panoramic view of the interplay among trust, identity, and security.
Our findings reveal several critical themes that require immediate attention from technology leaders:
Alarming increases in identity attacks
User experience as a catalyst for trust and security
How AI agents will change the attack surface (and the user mindset)
A steady rise in optimism about AI in the future
Let’s explore these findings from the global survey a bit more.
Nearly 50% of registration attempts met attack criteria
Identity enables your customers to sign up for and sign in to your digital properties. No one knows this better than threat actors, who look at the login box as a path to sensitive information, privileges, and consumer benefits.
Attackers relentlessly pursue this customer data. In 2024, an average of 46% of all registration attempts across the Auth0 platform were identified as signup attacks. The retail and e-commerce sector experienced a particularly intense multi-month attack, with fraudulent sign-ups outnumbering legitimate ones by 120 times. Professional services and financial services are also frequent targets due to the highly sensitive financial and personal information they hold.
The UX imperative: Trust and security over quality and value
When customers decide whether to create an account with a brand, their primary concerns aren't always about product quality or value. Our survey found that 74% prioritize a company's reputation and trustworthiness, and 72% care about security. This underscores a crucial point: A seamless and secure user experience isn't just a “nice-to-have”; it's fundamental to building initial trust.
And yet, our research shows that customers are still choosing the path of least resistance to log into websites, even if it's not the safest (like using the same password everywhere). In fact, 68% of users admitted to reusing passwords across multiple accounts. This poor password hygiene dramatically lowers the barrier for attackers, so why do consumers still do it? It all goes back to that login box.
Long signup or login forms frustrate 62% of users, and this friction directly impacts the bottom line: Nearly a quarter of respondents abandon online purchases due to signup or login issues. Younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are especially intolerant of this friction.
Fortunately, modern authentication methods are beginning to turn the tide. More than half of Gen Z and Millennial respondents view passkeys as convenient, while biometrics (fingerprint and Face ID) are overwhelmingly seen as the most secure login method.
The message is clear: Consumers want a simple and secure experience.
The AI agent trust deficit
While organizations are rapidly deploying AI agents to enhance customer experiences, a significant disconnect remains between what businesses want AI to do and what many customers are willing to accept.
Our report highlights that 70% of users still strongly prefer interacting with humans over AI agents. This preference is largely driven by a fundamental lack of trust: 44% of those who wouldn't use AI agents state, “I don’t trust AI agents with my personal data.” More broadly, 60% of survey respondents are concerned about the impact of AI on the privacy and security of their digital identities.
This trust gap isn't unfounded. Organizations are deploying AI applications without robust identity and access management (IAM) controls, which creates new vulnerabilities. Without proper guardrails, AI agents could gain unauthorized access to APIs, leak sensitive data, or perform actions beyond their intended purpose.
Securing AI agents from the start, with authentication, secure API calls, asynchronous user confirmation, and granular authorization, is crucial to realizing their transformative potential and preventing them from becoming a significant vector for abuse.
Building trust in AI: The path forward
Despite current hesitations, customers are not entirely averse to AI. Our report identifies clear pathways to building trust: 38% of respondents believe human oversight to review or approve AI agent decisions would increase trust. Transparency, ethical behavior, and accountability measures are also essential for growing user confidence. For organizations, this means prioritizing security and ethical guidelines from the beginning when deploying AI agents, and clearly communicating these efforts to users.
Deeply informed insights you can start using now
The findings of the Customer Identity Trends Report 2025 paint a clear picture: Customer trust is paramount, security threats are escalating, and the promise of AI hinges on our ability to instill confidence in its use.
This isn't solely a security team's challenge, nor is it just a customer experience leader's responsibility. It's a fundamental issue for every organization building digital relationships. With this report, we offer data-backed insights to help you stay ahead of the curve and make smarter business and technology decisions.
