About 1 in 5 Americans who sought financial advice in the past year turned to AI, according to a new Gallup survey conducted with Edward Jones, a financial services firm. But trust lags far behind usage: only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults have "a great deal" or "some" confidence in AI's expertise for managing money, and just 3% trust it "a great deal."
The poll, conducted in the spring among adults at least 21 years old, found a clear disconnect between the resources Americans trust for financial guidance and the ones they actually use. About 8 in 10 U.S. adults have at least "some" confidence in professional financial advisers. But only about one-third of those who sought advice actually turned to a professional, while 73% said they relied on their own internet research.
AI as a starting point, not a final answer
Taha Choukhmane, an associate professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management, said consumers should approach AI tools with caution - but not avoid them entirely. Using AI at the start of a learning journey, then combining that knowledge with trusted sources, can be the best way to engage with both new and traditional financial guidance tools.
"I would encourage people to use AI to explain and define," Choukhmane said. "If you're interested in knowing what the stock market is, what the difference between a mutual fund and an index fund is. Using AI to explain these concepts can be very useful because it can empower people to get the most out of these methods."
The survey found that most Americans sought financial guidance from at least one source in the past year. Beyond internet research, financial advisers, and AI, 35% went to a parent, sibling or relative, while 26% got information from news, media or social media. About 2 in 10 said they turned to a friend, author, speaker or influencer, and fewer relied on an employer, retirement plan provider, robo-advisor, or teacher and professor.
Generation gaps in advice sources
Younger generations are far more likely to have used AI for financial advice, while older adults lean on professional advisers. About a quarter of Gen Z and millennial adults who looked for financial advice in the past year went to AI, compared with 16% of Gen Xers and 7% of baby boomers.
That pattern reverses with professional advisers. Only 14% of Gen Z adults and 21% of millennials who sought guidance turned to one, while 34% of Gen X adults and 55% of baby boomers did. Affordability often drives the gap: online research, family and AI come at minimal cost, while hiring a professional requires a bigger financial commitment.
Since AI responds to specific user prompts, the advice can vary depending on how questions are asked. Choukhane recommends asking AI to provide references to trusted sources so you can verify what it says. For professionals working in finance, the technology can also be a useful entry point for exploring concepts around AI for Finance more broadly.
Who's accountable for AI-driven financial decisions?
Some financial experts question what legal responsibility AI tools carry. Certified financial planners have a legal duty to give the most fitting advice to their clients. AI tools don't - and the decisions a person makes based on their output remain the user's responsibility.
"Fiduciary responsibility is very real," said Bobbi Rebell, certified financial planner and founder of Financial Wellness Strategies. "There's no AI that is a fiduciary. It doesn't really know your life; it's not asking you all the questions."
The poll of 5,075 U.S. adults ages 21 and older was conducted March 20 through April 6, 2026, using a sample drawn from Gallup's probability-based panel. The margin of sampling error for U.S. adults overall is plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.
What this means for finance professionals
Your clients are already using AI for financial information - whether they've told you or not. With 73% relying on their own internet research and one in five trying AI, the actual number is likely mounting.
Expect to spend more time correcting misconceptions than building basic plans from scratch. You can ask clients how they approached their research and what AI tools they've been using. Treating AI usage as a point of discussion rather than a competitor creates an opening for human judgment. The reliability of AI is still contested, and the same goes for Generative AI and LLM tools more broadly.
You can also use AI to speed up your own explanation work - defining terms, outlining scenarios - and you're better positioned than most to check it for accuracy and tailor it to the client's actual situation.
Your membership also unlocks:
