Reliance on artificial intelligence in finance is on the rise, according to an HSBC survey, with many wealthy individuals claiming it has driven a significant portion of investment returns in the last year.
Over the last 12 months, 90% of wealthy individuals estimate that one-third of their portfolio returns are attributable to artificial intelligence (AI) tools, according to an HSBC survey of nearly 10,000 investors, including affluent and high net worth individuals (HNWI) who have minimum investable assets of USD100,000 and USD2 million, respectively. For HNWIs alone, return attribution to AI rises to 39%.
Overall, finance and investment was named as the top area for AI usage (73%), ahead of work and career (62%), and personal development (60%). Within finance, AI was primarily used for analysis and research (66%), strategy support (50%), and to provide a second opinion on their ideas (31%).
Among the younger generations, AI adoption for finance is even higher at 86% for Gen Z and 82% for Millennials.
Hybrid approach
Despite heavy AI usage, the survey indicated that investors still relied on professional advisors for financial decisions. Reasons cited include assurance (80%), strategic expertise (72%), application of judgement and validation (32%), spotting mistakes in AI-generated data (29%), and providing personalised interpretation of complex data (28%).
In fact, 50% of respondents say that their ideal future decision-making approach is hybrid, with AI and advisers working together. This includes using AI to discover options before seeking advisors for validation or the desire for advisors themselves to use AI tools for support.
In response to this trend, HSBC has been rapidly adopting AI to enhance its wealth management capabilities. In September 2025, it deployed a generative AI-powered ecosystem called Wealth Intelligence to equip its client-facing staff, investment counsellors, and product specialists to provide clients with market insights and personalised investment strategies. Earlier this month, the bank also inked a multi-year tie-up with Google Cloud for multiple areas, including hyper‑personalised wealth management support.
“Clients are increasingly using AI to explore their options, but when it comes to making investment decisions, they value judgement, context, and accountability from a trusted wealth adviser. That’s why we’re investing in adviser-enabled AI tools so our Relationship Managers can have richer client conversations,” said Barry O’Byrne, HSBC’s CEO of International Wealth & Premier Banking.
HSBC’s survey, which was conducted by Ipsos on its behalf, was based on insights from nearly 10,000 affluent and HNWI investors aged between 21 and 69 from 10 markets, including mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, the UAE, the UK, and the US.
