Americans Try AI for Money Questions but Rarely Trust It Fully

AI is becoming a low-cost source of financial explanations, but a national survey found a large trust gap and continued preference for human advisers. A Gallup survey found one in five recent advice seekers used AI, while only three percent of adults trusted it a great deal. About one in five Americans who sought financial advice in the previous year said they used AI, according to Gallup and Edward Jones. Only about three in 10 adults expressed at least some confidence in AI’s money expertise, and just three percent said they had a great deal of confidence.

Roughly eight in 10 expressed confidence in financial advisers, yet only about one-third of advice seekers consulted one. Seventy-three percent relied on their own internet research, while 35 percent consulted relatives and 26 percent used news or social media. The access gap helps explain the adoption gap. Younger adults can obtain immediate explanations without an advisory fee, but convenience may blur the line between learning a concept and receiving individualized investment, tax or retirement advice.

About a quarter of Gen Z and millennial advice seekers used AI, compared with 16 percent of Gen X and seven percent of baby boomers. The survey covered 5,075 U.S. adults aged 21 or older and reported a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. AI can explain terminology cheaply, but the quality of output depends on prompts, source data and whether users verify recommendations. Certified financial planners can owe legal duties that a general-purpose AI system does not assume.

Survey results measure reported use and confidence, not the accuracy of any specific model or the financial outcomes of users. The principal evidentiary limit at the edition cutoff was this: The poll did not test model answers or track whether respondents acted on the guidance and gained or lost money. The next public records to watch are regulatory guidance on AI financial advice and disclosures and whether trust changes as advisers integrate AI into supervised services.