Four in ten Britons use AI for financial advice. Regulators are noticing.
Four in ten people in the UK have turned to ChatGPT, Gemini, and similar AI tools for personal financial guidance, according to 2025 research from comparison site Finder. One in six have sought investing advice or stock tips. One in seven have used the technology for digital asset guidance.
The trend reflects genuine demand, not recklessness. Years of rising costs have priced millions out of traditional financial advice. People are experimenting with AI because they need help.
The depth problem
When a financial adviser takes on a new client, they build a comprehensive picture: family circumstances, risk appetite, financial goals, time horizon, assets, liabilities. This structured intake process is what gives professional advice its value.
Most people typing prompts into chatbots have no idea what information the tool would need to generate advice suited to their situation. A Sky News experiment made this clear. When ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini were each asked how to invest £16,000-the average adult savings in the UK-the results lacked diversification, contained weak market insight, and showed inconsistencies between stated strategies and actual recommendations.
Yet the behaviour itself matters. Consumers aren't turning to AI out of recklessness. They're turning to it because they have nowhere else to go.
A regulated middle ground
Regulators are responding. A new framework called "targeted support" aims to create space between generic guidance and full personalised advice. Regulated firms would be able to make recommendations to groups of consumers with shared characteristics and financial needs-something more tailored than a leaflet, without the cost of bespoke advice.
Targeted support is not a substitute for comprehensive financial planning. But it keeps qualified professionals involved, something AI tools cannot do. For many consumers, it could serve as a gateway to longer-term planning.
The gap between consumer demand and available advice is real. How regulators and firms fill it will shape whether AI for Finance becomes a bridge or a shortcut.
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