Investors still rely on human advisers despite wider AI use, HSBC says

Investors continue to lean on human financial advisers when making final decisions, even as artificial intelligence becomes a common tool for earlystage research, according to HSBC. The bank surveyed about 10,000 affluent and highnetworth people across 10 markets and found that 62% use financial professionals and institutions as their main source of investment ideas. Human experts were also cited as the biggest influence on final decisions by 37% of respondents, roughly three times the share who pointed to AI. HSBC said investors value human judgment, context, and accountability, especially when validating information, spotting errors in AIgenerated output, and interpreting complex data. Younger investors were the most likely to use AI, with Gen Z and millennials using it mainly to assess risks, speed up research, and support analysis. The survey also found that AI has made many investors feel more confident about taking calculated risks, particularly in parts of Asia and the Middle East.