Human oversight tops what adults want from financial AI

Three-quarters of U.S. adults say they use artificial intelligence in everyday life. Only 21% use it for financial decisions. A new Addition Wealth survey, reported by PLANADVISER, lays out the gap.

The 2026 Future of Advice Survey drew from 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 to 64. It found 72% want a human leading or actively involved in financial guidance. Just 5% prefer advice that is entirely AI-driven. Even among frequent AI users, 21% treat AI as their primary financial source.

The difference is trust. Only 14% fully trust AI for financial decisions. Another 24% do not trust it at all. The rest sit somewhere between. Asked what would make them more likely to use AI for financial advice, respondents put human oversight first, at 42%. Strong privacy protections drew 37%. Clear explanations of decisions drew 36%. Backing from a trusted financial institution drew 30%.

Consumers are increasingly comfortable using AI for financial decisions, but they still want human judgment, oversight, and accountability when money is on the line, said Ana Mahony, Addition Wealth's CEO.

The survey does not break out retirement-planning-specific responses. The implications for retirement advisers are still direct. Among consumers open to AI, saving and investing ranks as the most comfortable use case, at 42%. Taxes follow at 35%. Budgeting draws 34%. Debt management trails at 30%. Clients may turn to AI for routine portfolio questions, but decisions with lifelong consequences, such as rollovers, withdrawal rates, and annuity choices, still need human guidance.

The data arrive as advisers figure out how to deploy AI without eroding the trust that brings clients to them. The survey suggests a clear division of labor: AI handles the math, humans answer for the plan. The 5% who prefer no human involvement are not the clients advisers need to chase.

Addition Wealth fielded the survey in April across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.