UK savers invest £2,354 on average after AI advice, STRAT7 finds
New research from STRAT7 (Jan 5, 2026) shows AI is now a meaningful input to consumer money decisions in the UK. On average, adults who act on AI-generated guidance invest £2,354.60.
Adoption is broad: 55% of UK adults use platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini for finance at least some of the time. Younger users show the highest uptake, but older cohorts commit bigger ticket sizes.
Where AI fits in daily money decisions
- 36% of AI users lean on it for budgeting advice.
- 1 in 10 say AI is their first stop for financial guidance.
- 14% of Gen Z say they use AI to answer all their finance questions - a clear signal of trust and convenience.
Adoption vs. ticket size by generation
- Gen Z: £2,190.50 average invested after AI advice (81% use AI).
- Millennials: £2,202.80 (80% use AI).
- Gen X: £3,104.10 (fewer users, larger amounts).
- Boomers: £3,098.00 (similar pattern to Gen X).
Translation: younger cohorts are building the habit, older cohorts bring the capital. Your product, suitability checks, and messaging should reflect both.
Traditional channels still carry the most weight
Banks' websites remain the top influence at 81%, followed by family (76%) and MoneySavingExpert (75%). Social media is used by 40% overall, with YouTube and Facebook leading that subset.
Satisfaction tells a similar story. Banks' websites and MoneySavingExpert score 78% satisfaction, versus 67% for AI-based investment advice and 65% for social media. AI is clearly useful, but trust still favors established sources.
What this means for banks, wealth managers, and fintech
- Treat AI as the new front door. Many customers will start with an AI prompt before they reach you. Meet them there with clear, compliant guidance and simple routes to human support.
- Close the "trust gap." If AI guidance satisfaction is 67% while bank/MSE sits at 78%, that's your opening: better explanations, source transparency, and outcome tracking.
- Budgeting is the hook. With 36% using AI for budgeting, build or integrate smarter spend insights, alerts, and goals. Then bridge into savings and investing journeys.
- Mind the advice-guidance boundary and Consumer Duty. Align AI outputs, disclaimers, and handoffs to your regulatory model. See the FCA's Consumer Duty overview for context: FCA Consumer Duty.
- Design for two realities: high-usage youth with smaller tickets and lower-usage older users with larger tickets. Personalize funnels, not just content.
Exec commentary in plain terms
Industry leaders argue that AI is already a core tool for younger savers and investors. If home ownership feels out of reach for many, attention shifts to other investment channels - and low-cost AI support fills the gap.
The takeaway isn't "ditch traditional." It's "blend smart." Established channels still convert and satisfy. What customers want most is relevant, specific education and guidance so they can make confident decisions that fit their situation.
Operational moves you can implement this quarter
- Ship AI-assisted budgeting with clear guardrails; log prompts, sources, and outcomes.
- Use retrieval-augmented responses that cite your current rate cards, research notes, and policy pages to reduce hallucinations.
- Stand up suitability checks for any investment guidance; route edge cases to humans.
- Instrument journeys: track satisfaction, error rates, conversion, and downstream performance (e.g., savings persistence, default rates).
- Align legal/compliance on advice vs. guidance language, disclaimers, and escalation rules.
- Train frontline teams on AI outputs, limitations, and how to coach customers through next steps.
Quick stat sheet
- Average AI-influenced investment: £2,354.60.
- AI usage for finance: 55% of UK adults; Gen Z 81%, Millennials 80%.
- Average invested by cohort: Gen Z £2,190.50; Millennials £2,202.80; Gen X £3,104.10; Boomers £3,098.00.
- Top guidance sources: Banks' websites 81%; Family 76%; MoneySavingExpert 75%; Social media 40%.
- Satisfaction: Banks/MSE 78%; AI advice 67%; Social media 65%.
Resources
If your team is building or buying AI capability for finance use cases, these may help:
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