How AI is changing advisor routines in 2026: Ask an Advisor

As many financial advisors have noticed, 2025 was a transformative year in wealth management, especially for artificial intelligence in technology stacks.

While 2025 was largely about experimentation with AI, experts have predicted that 2026 will see a greater wave of implementation.

When AI first entered the tech stacks of most advisors a few years ago, it was mainly centered around back-office functions, far away from the client-facing side of the business.

Now, advisors are seeing it creep ever further into areas they hadn’t before, including financial planning and investment management.

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This has led some to worry that AI might eventually replace advisors altogether. However, many who have successfully implemented it in areas like meeting preparation and note-taking say it has made them more efficient and present with clients. For them, the result has been a deepening of client relationships, not a substitute for it.

However, some other positions in wealth management firms, like paraplanners, might be on the chopping block. Some even worry this will disrupt the first run of the career ladder in the industry.

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As 2026 gets underway, we asked advisors how their routines have changed in light of technology advancements, including AI. We wanted to know what advisors are doing differently in 2026 that they weren’t when 2025 started. Here’s how they answered.