Consumers worldwide are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for guidance on investment decisions and to enhance their financial security, according to the second edition of the EY Global AI Sentiment study. The research, conducted among over 18,000 people in 23 countries, found that AI adoption has accelerated in the financial services sector in the last six months due to increasing consumer interest.
Nearly half of the respondents (49%) said they had used artificial intelligence to support their savings and investment decisions in the past six months, while 18% used it to protect their personal financial data, and 50% believe this technology could help detect and prevent financial fraud. In addition, 21% said they use AI agents for financial product recommendations, and 18% said they use artificial intelligence for budgeting, household finance management, and trading support.
Aurelia Costache, Partner, AI Lead, EY Romania: „In Romania, the accelerated use of artificial intelligence in financial decisions makes AI governance a strategic priority, not a compliance exercise. Consumer trust is built through clear rules, transparency, and accountability in data usage. Companies that invest in robust AI governance now will be able to safely scale innovation and gain a real competitive advantage in a market that is still maturing.”
Demand for financial guidance spurs adoption
More than a third of respondents (37%) worldwide said they would find it „very” or „extremely” useful for artificial intelligence to provide personalized financial recommendations based on their data and preferences, or to automate claims processing and financial decision-making.
Furthermore, over the past six months, 14% of respondents said they had allowed artificial intelligence to select financial service providers on their behalf, while 11% said they had delegated the management of their finances to artificial intelligence, with little or no human intervention.
Răzvan Pîrnac, Partner, Financial Services Risk Management, EY Romania: „Romania reflects the same shift highlighted in recent EY research, where artificial intelligence is moving from experimentation to everyday financial decisions, though with stark local contrasts. We already have a modern financial infrastructure, with over 26 million active bank cards, according to the National Bank of Romania, but only about one-third of Romanians use internet banking services, according to Eurostat data. At the same time, various recent studies show that nearly 7 in 10 Romanians already use AI in their daily lives, reflecting the global trend identified by EY, according to which consumers turn to AI for guidance and decision-making. However, less than 20% use it regularly, and fewer than 61% of companies have integrated it in a structured way, highlighting a key challenge for Romania: transforming growing familiarity with AI into trustworthy, well-governed, and truly useful adoption, especially in areas such as finance, where trust and transparency matter most.”
Adoption varies by age, education, and occupational status
Although the adoption of artificial intelligence in financial services is increasing overall, the study revealed significant variations between demographic groups. Usage, perceived usefulness, and trust levels are highest among younger consumers, those with higher education, and full-time employees.
Respondents from Generation Z (ages 14–29) have the highest adoption rate, with 68% using artificial intelligence for at least one aspect of financial management, followed by millennial respondents (ages 30–45), at 65%.
However, millennial respondents are the most likely to use artificial intelligence for financial product recommendations (31%), followed closely by Gen Z respondents (30%), then by Generation X (ages 46–61), at 18%, and by baby boomers (ages 62–80), at 10%.
Millennial respondents are also the most likely to use artificial intelligence in high-stakes scenarios, including for fraud detection (37% of consumers say they use artificial intelligence), financial recommendations (43%), and the automation of the claims settlement process (41%). By comparison, Generation Z shows lower levels, with 12% of these consumers stating they use AI for fraud detection and 14% for financial recommendations and claims processing automation. Among Generation X, 27% stated that they use artificial intelligence for all three use cases, and among baby boomer respondents, the percentages are 22%, 15%, and 17%, respectively.
Education and occupational status influence trust in artificial intelligence.
Higher levels of formal education and full-time employment status are strongly correlated with higher levels of trust in artificial intelligence.
Approximately half of the surveyed consumers with a bachelor’s degree believe that artificial intelligence is „very” or „extremely” useful for fraud detection (50%), financial recommendations (52%), and the automation of the claims settlement process (51%). By comparison, lower levels are recorded among high school graduates, with only 28% of respondents using artificial intelligence for fraud detection, and 25% for financial recommendations and claims processing automation.
The survey data revealed that 28% of full-time employees worldwide use artificial intelligence to recommend financial products, compared with 23% of students and 7% of retirees.