Study shows AI‑savvy advisors gain time, sharpen advice and build a head start on future client flows
Almost three-quarters of wealth and asset management executives now say artificial intelligence will be critical to the future of their business—and many believe it will “redefine the very nature of investment management.”
A new global study by ThoughtLab, conducted with FNZ, ServiceNow, Amazon Web Services, LSEG, Publicis Sapient, and the Grant Thornton Advisors LLC multi‑national platform and the Grant Thornton International Limited Network, shows how fast AI is moving from experimentation to core infrastructure across the industry.
AI shifts from tool to “autonomous collaborator”
ThoughtLab’s research, The AI‑Powered Investment Firm: An AI playbook for wealth and asset management firms in the agentic era, draws on responses from 500 financial institutions across 16 markets and analysis from industry executives and AI experts.
Nearly three‑quarters (73 percent) of surveyed executives say AI is critical for the future of their businesses, and close to two‑thirds (63 percent) think it will revolutionize the wealth and asset management sector.
They already see AI touching every part of the value chain, from back‑office processes to client‑facing activities.
“AI’s evolution into an autonomous collaborator will redefine the very nature of investment management,” said Lou Celi, CEO of ThoughtLab and program director for the study.
“Our research shows that AI will not just augment human capability, but it will become a strategic partner driving performance, personalization, and productivity.”
Where firms are using AI today
The study finds that firms already embed AI across front, middle, and back offices:
- In the front office, more than half of firms use AI for customer analytics and self‑service portals, with many creating highly customized products for individual clients.
- In the middle office, AI automates compliance checks and detects and responds to potential security threats and fraud in real time.
- In the back office, firms use AI to write code and optimise business processes.
GenAI adoption stands at 37 percent of investment providers today, and respondents expect that share to rise to 71 percent over the next three years.
Use of agentic AI is still emerging but is also expected to double in the same period.
Helping advisors reclaim time for clients
Generative and agentic AI are gaining traction in advisor support.
More than half of firms say they now use GenAI to handle tasks such as writing meeting notes, creating personalized client communications, and summarizing complex documents.
Over the next three years, executives expect a clearer division of labour between humans and machines.
They anticipate AI will take on more repetitive work—client onboarding, client administration, and transaction execution—so advisors can focus on human skills that matter to clients: better investment advice and personal support.
The roadblocks: culture, skills, and data
Even with strong interest, the research highlights recurring barriers that slow AI implementation:
- Cultural resistance to change and innovation
- Shortages of AI talent
- Weak data foundations that make integration difficult
- Complex operations and legacy systems
- A rapidly evolving regulatory environment
These issues lead some firms to move cautiously, despite seeing peers already capturing benefits.
What AI leaders do differently
ThoughtLab identifies a cohort of early adopters that are materially ahead in real‑world results from AI.
These leaders offer a practical roadmap built around five areas:
- Create an AI vision and culture to inspire change. Leaders develop a clear AI strategy and an innovation culture that encourages staff to experiment with AI rather than treat it as a side project.
- Build an AI‑ready IT and data platform. They implement modern cloud‑based IT platforms that make it easier to deploy AI at scale, and they cleanse, integrate, and optimise data specifically to support AI.
- Install a robust AI governance, risk, and regulatory framework. Leaders put strong guardrails, risk management, and compliance policies in place so AI use remains responsible and auditable.
- Prepare for the future of work. They focus on developing and acquiring AI talent and skills for a future in which people and AI work together in ways that can “hugely boost human productivity.”
- Rethink business for the agentic era. Rather than only automating or optimising existing workflows, leaders use agentic AI to reinvent processes and take on tasks that were not possible in the past.
Celi stresses that technology spend alone does not guarantee results.
He said many firms have “learned the hard way” that investing in AI alone does not guarantee results, and that success depends on solid technology, governance and organisational foundations, as well as a clear view of where people add the most value.
