That’ s the attitude Advisor360 found when the Needham, Mass.-based digital platform surveyed 300 financial advisors about how AI is shaping their advisor experience and how they use it to engage with clients.

Overall, the advisors polled say they’ re optimistic about how AI might affect the investment business and financial planning, but they don’ t want to let it go without oversight, Advisor360 said when announcing the results of its survey.

The firm polled advisors at registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, and banks, and it found that, far from fearing that AI will take jobs, many advisors are upbeat about the role the technology can play in their workday, regarding it as a valuable tool that complements their work.

Seventy-three percent of the respondents said AI is already helping their practice. But a whopping 93 % said that“ retaining control over decisions and advice when using AI tools is non-negotiable,” Advisor360 said in its press release.“ While adoption is growing, the survey reveals advisors don’ t trust AI completely.”

Furthermore, despite their adoption of the technology, advisors are wary of using it to make investment decisions, and few are even comfortable talking about AI with clients.

“ Advisors are approaching AI with pragmatic optimism as they explore how the technology can help them serve clients more efficiently,” said Mat Mathews, chief product and engineering officer at Advisor360, in a statement in the release.“ The workflow intelligence that’ s built into the best AI means it can adapt and recommend actions based on proven outcomes, which goes a long way toward building advisors’ trust in these tools.”

Despite their adoption of the technology, advisors are wary of using it to make investment decisions, and few are even comfortable talking about AI with clients.

How can advisors trust AI? Thirty-nine percent of the advisors surveyed say they want proof that it has been tested by peers before allowing it to operate without oversight, and more than a third, 34 %, would only relinquish control if they’ re sure AI’ s use is within compliance guidelines, according to the survey.

When it comes to using AI to make investment decisions or aid with financial planning for clients, advisors are even more skeptical. Only 14 % of them now use AI to help identify investment opportunities, according to the survey, and just 3 % rely on AI-generated financial recommendations.

Before they can trust AI’ s ability to make financial recommendations, 39 % of the advisors said they would need to see regulatory approval and 39 % also said they needed proven use cases, among the factors most likely to boost their flagging confidence.

Advisors seem to feel more comfortable using AI to perform administrative tasks more efficiently. Thirty-one percent of the respondents said they use AI to generate meeting summaries and notes, and 28 % used it to update their customer relationship management( CRM) system.

However they use the technology, Advisor360 found that few advisors are comfortable talking to their clients about how they employ it. Just 21 % initiate the topic with clients, and even if asked, less than half say they will do so, according to the survey. Thirty percent don’ t mention AI at all.

“ For most advisors, confidence in AI-native tools— and their comfort discussing them with clients— comes from knowing the technology is operating within clearly defined guardrails,” said Mathews.“ As these frameworks mature and real-world outcomes continue to validate the technology, advisors will begin to see AI not just as a helpful assistant, but as a reliable, trusted teammate.”

The email-based survey was fielded last fall by FUSE Research Network on behalf of Advisor360. The U. S.-based survey participants managed, on average, $ 548 million in client assets either individually or as part of a team.

— FA Staff

SEC Warns: Marketing Rule Missteps Still Plague RIAs

Continued from page 9 tants. Even when the penalties are modest, the settlements can cause a firm reputational damage and increased scrutiny.

The ACA Group says that advisors should reassess their programs with fresh eyes, reviewing all testimonials and endorsements currently in use, reassessing referral relationships and revalidating third-party ratings.

Here are some of the key corrective steps advisors can take, according to the compliance firm:

• They should make sure that the disclosures appear at the moment an advertisement is disseminated.

• They should use the same-size, sameweight font for the disclosures as they do for the testimonial or rating.

• They should update written agreements with promoters and document their oversight.

• They should verify rating methodologies and disclose all compensation paid.

The ACA Group said firms should not assume that their previous compliance efforts are sufficient.

— Tracey Longo

12 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2026 WWW. FA-MAG. COM