Only about one in ten advisory firms has fully integrated AI into how the business runs.
Firms that build a strategy around their AI usage and redesigning their practices around them are starting to take the lead on growth. Here’s how to use AI mindfully and stay ahead of the game.
Adoption doubled; strategy didn’t.
In January 2026, Schwab’s RIA & AI Research Study found that 63% of RIAs now use AI tools in some capacity – which more than doubled since 2023. However, only about one in ten firms has fully integrated AI into its business strategy. That’s interesting gap, given that 68% of advisors expect AI to be transformative to the future of advice within the next three years.
Additionally, a September 2026 analysis of more than 6,000 Form ADV filings found that RIAs disclosing AI use grew total headcount 15% over the past year, compared with 8% at firms without AI disclosures. Among enterprise and large RIAs, AUM per advisor at AI adopters grew by a median of 22%, versus 12% at comparable firms.
(One honest caveat: these firms were already outgrowing their peers before the current wave of AI. Firms with the resources and discipline to invest in AI tend to be well-run to begin with.)
Advisors see it coming, too. In InspereX’s 2026 Pulse Survey, 78% of advisors said peers who don’t adopt AI within the next three to five years will be at a competitive disadvantage.
So, what are leaders are doing with the gains? Hiring.
Cerulli Associates and Vista Equity Partners found RIAs are using AI to create capacity for growth rather than cut staff. Most plan to add junior advisors, client service associates, and senior advisors over the next two years.
Time is the new talent.
McKinsey estimates that generative AI adoption in wealth management could deliver at least 6% to 12% in advisor time savings by 2034: the equivalent of adding 30,000 to 60,000 advisors at 2024 productivity levels.
In an industry already struggling to find and keep advisors, that reclaimed time is the most valuable currency there is. Advisors who automate the administrative work get to do more of the work clients want to pay for: conversations, planning, judgment, presence. Firms that don’t successfully integrate will keep asking their people to do both.
What do clients want?
Here’s the nuance: clients aren’t choosing advisors because they use AI. They’re choosing advisors who can give them more time, more attention, and better judgment. AI, when strategized properly, is giving firms the ability to create that time.
Janus Henderson’s 2026 Investor Survey found most investors are comfortable with advisors using AI for administrative work and educational materials, but notably less comfortable when AI drives investment recommendations or personal communications. And 79% would be upset if their advisor used AI without disclosing it.
Some clients have concerns that go beyond the advice itself. An AP-NORC poll from September 2026 found 53% of Americans are extremely or very concerned about AI’s environmental impact, up from 41% a year earlier, with local water supply near the top of the list. For those clients, how a firm uses AI is a values question, not just a service question.
The takeaway: AI belongs in the back office. Advice belongs with people. And clients deserve to know the difference.
How to integrate AI thoughtfully
Strategy is also stewardship. Firms and advisors with a clear AI purpose get more value from the tools they use and waste less on the ones that don’t matter. And, as more efficient options emerge, those that stay flexible can adopt them and use fewer resources over time.
For firms:
- Start with the time problem, not the tool. Pick the administrative work that eats advisor hours, like meeting notes, CRM updates, and document prep, and apply AI there first. Purposeful use delivers the biggest return with the smallest footprint.
- Keep advice human. Use AI to prepare for client conversations, not to have them.
- Tell clients how you use it. A short, plain-language explanation of what AI does in your practice, and what it doesn’t. Disclosure is what clients expect.
- Know your clients’ values. Some clients will have concerns about privacy or environmental impact. Ask, listen, and be ready to explain your choices.
- Put someone in charge. Governance, data protection, and vendor review shouldn’t be anyone’s side project.
For advisors exploring their next move:
- Show what AI gave back. Be ready to explain what you automated, how, and what you did with the time.
- Ask firms about their AI strategy. Is there real infrastructure and governance, or are advisors left to figure it out alone? How do they prevent unnecessary use of resources?
- Ask how the firm talks to clients about AI. Are firms transparent about their AI use, or do they hide it?
- Bring discernment, not just fluency. Knowing when not to use AI is part of the skill.
At Windward, we listen for the difference.
The advisors thriving right now aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest books. They’re the ones who figured out which tools help them strategically save time and clear the busywork off their plate so their attention can stay on their clients.
Matching priorities means matching that ambition, and pairing advisors with firms whose approach to technology fits how they want to serve clients. Telling a candidate’s story means showing a firm not just what they built, but how they built it.
AI won’t replace advisors. But advisors who use AI strategically will reshape what the job market looks like, and firms built around them will continue to pull further ahead every year.
The future of advice is still human. It’s just going to be delivered by humans who got their time back.