While Clients May Be Using AI, They Still Want Human Support

Most U.S. adults are using artificial intelligence regularly or occasionally in their daily lives, but far fewer trust the technology when making financial decisions.

According to financial guidance platform Addition Wealth’s 2026 Future of Advice Survey: AI and Financial Guidance, 74% of respondents said they use AI in their everyday lives, while only 21% said they use it for their finances.

When frequent users of AI were asked how often they use it for financial questions or decisions, 21% said it was their primary source, 33% used it occasionally, and 22% rarely used it.

The survey’s findings suggested that although U.S. adults are becoming more familiar with AI, many remain hesitant to fully trust the technology for financial guidance: 14% of respondents said they fully trusted AI to assist their financial decisionmaking, and 24% said they did not trust AI for financial decisions at all.

“Consumers are increasingly comfortable with AI helping them navigate financial decisions, but they continue to place a premium on human judgment, oversight, and accountability when money is on the line,” said Ana Mahony, Addition Wealth’s founder and CEO, in a statement.

The survey found that respondents still prefer a human element in financial advice. Nearly three-quarters (72%) said they wanted a human leading or actively involved in providing financial guidance, while only 5% said they preferred guidance that is entirely AI-driven.

“People will turn to a platform and leverage AI for a lot of their financial questions but often choose to connect with a financial adviser when they want greater confidence around more consequential decisions,” Mahony said in the statement.

When respondents were asked what would make them more likely to use the technology for financial advice, 42% said human oversight, 37% said strong privacy and data protection, 36% said clear explanations of how decisions are made, and 30% said backing from a trusted financial institution.

Among those willing to use AI for financial guidance, consumers were most comfortable using the technology for saving and investing (42%). Tax-related questions ranked second at 35%, followed by budgeting and day-to-day money management (34%) and debt management (30%).

Addition Wealth surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 through 64 across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. in April.