DIY investors: Are Americans using AI tools to make investment decisions?

A growing share of American investors are making investment decisions without the ongoing help of a financial advisor. Among Americans who currently hold investments such as stocks, mutual funds or ETFs, retirement accounts, or annuities, YouGov data shows that only 32% currently use a financial planner or advisor service. Another 14% have used one in the past but no longer do.

That leaves a large DIY investor audience — people who are either managing their investments without a current advisor or have never used one. But are Americans using AI tools to aid their DIY investments?

AI is still a minority source, but Gen Z might be driving a shift

Among all DIY investors, 14% say they use AI tools, agents or chatbots to learn about investment products or strategies. That puts AI below personal networks, financial news websites and YouTube videos, but broadly in line with several more established information sources, including books or educational courses, newspapers or newspaper websites, and podcasts.

But the generational split is worth noting. Among Gen Z DIY investors, 25% say they use AI tools, agents or chatbots for investment information. This puts it at the sixth position among this demographic compared to 11th among all DIY investors.

Among Millennials, AI usage is also above the DIY investor average, with 22% using AI tools for investment information. The share falls to 10% among Gen X and 4% among Baby Boomers.

AI users are more confident in managing their investments

DIY investors who use AI for investment information report higher levels of confidence in managing their own financial investments.

Among all DIY investors, 12% say they are extremely confident and 23% say they are very confident. Combined, that means 35% place themselves at a high level of confidence.

Among DIY investors who use AI as an information source, the equivalent figure rises to 54%, including 22% who say they are extremely confident and 32% who say they are very confident.

This group also stands out when compared with DIY investors who use social media posts or influencers for investment information. Among social media or influencer users, 19% say they are extremely confident and 27% say they are very confident, for a combined 46%.

The data does not show whether AI is the reason why investors are more confident, or whether more confident investors are simply more willing to experiment with AI, but the correlation is worth noting.

AI may already be a reason some investors avoid advisors

AI is also beginning to show up as a stated reason for going without a financial advisor.

Among all DIY investors, 10% say one reason they make investment decisions without help from a financial advisor is that they can use AI to help with planning or making financial decisions.

Again, Gen Z DIY investors are the most likely to say this, at 16%, followed by Millennials at 13%. The share drops to 7% among Gen X and 3% among Baby Boomers.

That does not mean AI is the main reason why DIY investors are not using financial advisors. Other reasons, such as not having enough invested to need an advisor, preferring direct control, and not seeing enough value in the cost of advice, remain more widely cited.

Attitudes toward AI show a similar age pattern. Among all DIY investors, 26% agree that AI is a valuable tool in creating and updating their investment strategy. Gen Z DIY investors are more positive, with four in ten agreeing. Millennials follow at 35%.

Among Gen X, agreement drops to 22%, while among Baby Boomers it falls to 11%. Baby Boomers are also the most likely to disagree, at 34%.

Robo-advisors occupy a related but distinct space

AI tools are not the only automated investing technology in the DIY investor landscape. Robo-advisors also play a role, although current usage remains limited.

About one in ten DIY investors say they currently have some part of their investments handled by a robo-advisor account (9%).

Perceptions of robo-advisors are mixed. When asked how a robo-advisor account would perform compared with an account they manage themselves, 16% of DIY investors say it would do a lot better and 24% say it would do a little better. Another 24% say it would perform about the same.

That means 40% think a robo-advisor would perform better than an account they manage themselves, while 13% think it would perform worse. A sizeable 23% say they do not know.

DIY investors are more cautious when comparing robo-advisors with financial advisors. Only 6% say a robo-advisor account would perform a lot better than an account managed by a financial advisor, while 20% say it would do a little better. Some 31% say it would perform about the same.

A fifth think robo-advisors would perform worse than financial advisors, including 12% who say a little worse and 7% who say a lot worse. Another 24% do not know.

The implication is that robo-advisors may be better positioned as an alternative to fully self-managed investing than as a direct replacement for human advisors.

This is the second article in a two-part series on DIY investing. The first article looks at why Americans invest without financial advisors and the information sources they rely on.

Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online on June 26, 2026, with a nationally representative sample of 2420 adults (aged 18+ years) in the US, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. The filtered sample of investors totals to 1291 adults and the sample of DIY investors amounts to 854 adults. Data figures have been weighted by age, race, gender, education, and region to be representative of all adults in the US (18 years or older), and reflect the latest population estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.