A new report from InvestorsObserver suggests that many experienced investors remain wary of using AI for financial decisions, despite rapid advances in digital tools across global markets.
The survey of more than 1,000 U.S. internet users aged 35 to 60 found that 19% of respondents do not trust AI with any financial task, and only 5% act on AI recommendations without human checks.
The research explores how a core demographic of individual investors currently uses AI chatbots for portfolio management, what tasks they would trust algorithmic systems with, and whether they plan to increase their reliance on these tools in the future. Adoption remains limited, with 64% saying they have never used AI chatbots for investment advice. However, 36% already do — including 7% using AI tools several times per week and 12% relying on them a few times per month.
The survey indicates that investors are split over what kinds of decisions AI should support. Stock picking proved the most trusted use case, with 25% expressing confidence in AI’s ability to analyse large volumes of data. A further 17% said fraud detection and security monitoring were suitable tasks for AI, while only 12% would turn to it for budgeting, retirement planning or tax optimisation. A significant minority, nearly 1 in 5, did not trust AI with any money management activity.
One of the most striking findings concerns how investors interact with digital advice. Just 5% say they follow AI recommendations without doing their own research, while 63% treat AI content as a starting point for further investigation. Another 11% cross-check algorithmic tips with human experts, and 14% stated they reject AI investment advice entirely.
Despite hesitancy, 59% of respondents said they plan to use or continue using AI in their investing, pointing to growing familiarity and a likely expansion of hybrid decision-making — blending machine insights with personal judgement. The undecided group, 26% of participants, represents a key cohort that could shift broader adoption trends over time, especially as forecasts suggest the AI finance market may reach around $190bn by 2030.
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