79% of Wealthy Investors Demand AI Disclosure

Janus Henderson’s 2026 Investor Survey polled 1,000 U.S. investors with at least $250,000 in investible assets and found 79% would be upset if their financial advisor used artificial intelligence without notifying them. The survey also found only 33% of respondents said an advisor had discussed AI use with them, and 50% believed they were not exposed to AI in their financial relationships.

Respondents identified security, privacy and trust as top concerns. Seventy‑five percent expressed worry that an AI recommendation could be biased or conflicted, and 74% cited data privacy or security concerns. Seventy‑three percent said they preferred an advisor to conduct personal research on investments rather than rely on AI alone.

Views depended on the AI use case. Eighty‑seven percent said they would feel good or neutral about advisors using AI to produce educational materials. More direct uses drew resistance: 40% would be upset if AI automated responses to texts or emails, and 33% would be upset to learn AI had been used for investment recommendations.

Matt Sommer, head of the Specialist Consulting Group at Janus Henderson, noted that advisory firms often embed AI in back‑office systems and client services and that clients may not be fully aware of such deployment. Sommer described AI as a complement to human judgment that can handle administrative tasks and free advisors to spend more time with clients.

Advisors who commented on the survey recommended clearer client communication. Suzanne Siracuse, founder and CEO of Siracuse Consulting, urged advisors to ask clients what AI they already use and explain how firm tools would be applied. Shane Cummings, director of cybersecurity and technology at Halbert Hargrove, called AI an institutional table stake and recommended seeking client permission before deploying tools that affect clients directly, such as meeting notetakers.

Jesse Giordano, founder of Opal Wealth Advisors, reported that his firm informs clients when it uses an AI meeting notetaker; about 5% of clients have asked to remove the tool after learning about it, while most accepted it once they understood its purpose and function.