I’ve began to compile my very own sense of AI utilization throughout the advisor {industry}. For this column, I’ve referenced three completely different surveys. The latest is the 2025 model of the annual T3 Inside Info Software program Survey, put collectively by Joel Bruckenstein and Bob Veres, which got here out this week on the T3 Convention.
I’ll begin with the extra common generative AI and work my means into some industry-specific instruments and classes.
Just like the world at giant, advisors have taken to utilizing simply obtainable, free, on-line generative AI instruments to carry out searches and conduct common analysis. The 2025 T3 survey discovered that the seven hottest of those had a complete market penetration of just below 42% of advisors.
We don’t know from the survey how they’re utilizing it or what or whether or not they have any guardrails up, however nearly 36% of advisors reported utilizing ChatGPT and gave superb satisfaction scores. Trailing instantly behind it have been Microsoft Copilot (which makes use of ChatGPT below the hood) at 12% and Google Gemini at nearly 7%, although the latter two obtained solely barely higher than common satisfaction scores.
The T3 survey relies on responses from 2,128 advisors. Nearly 70% of advisors have been from fee-only corporations, and just below 28% have been dually registered advisors with an IBD affiliation. Lower than 3% have been brokers or from wirehouses.
AI and Orion’s Third Annual Advisor Wealthtech Survey
For a way of mid-size to bigger corporations usually, I’ll herald some outcomes from Orion’s current advisor survey, which was administered in December to 585 advisors (285 respondents got here from Orion’s inner databases, whereas 300 have been chosen from an unbiased third-party pattern).
On this survey, 68% of advisors reported utilizing some sort of AI expertise. As I complained in a current column, whereas fascinating, this covers numerous floor and will confer with every little thing from free generative AI from OpenAI or Google to an costly portfolio analytics package deal.
Nonetheless I did discover this level from Orion’s survey about associated expertise funding fascinating: 43% of advisors deliberate to extend their funding in AI-powered instruments in 2025 versus 24% who deliberate to spend the identical as final yr. Additionally fascinating was that AI was the one class out of 9 the place corporations anticipated to extend their spending over 2024 ranges.
AI and the Advisor360° 2025 Linked Wealth Report
The third survey I discussed is that of expertise platform supplier Advisor360° (registration required), which surveyed 300 monetary advisors at enterprise wealth administration corporations within the fourth quarter of 2024. These are advisors from very giant corporations with members self-identified as liable for managing, on common, $2 billion in property both individually or as a part of a crew. They have been from corporations with a median AUM of $103 billion and a median advisor headcount of 902 advisors.
Amongst these very giant corporations, we discover that 76% of advisors are already utilizing generative AI of their every day enterprise. In only one yr, there was a speedy shift from skepticism to adoption. This yr, 85% of advisors agreed that generative AI may assist their follow, whereas solely 52% shared that opinion final yr.
And concern over generative AI has been tapped down significantly in response to the Advisor360° survey as properly; simply 8% of advisors imagine it to be a possible menace to the occupation, a lower from the 21% who known as it a menace a yr in the past.
The Advisor360° survey additionally discovered that 82% of respondents’ corporations now have insurance policies particular to generative AI utilization in place, in comparison with 47% within the earlier survey.
Lastly, amongst those that reported utilizing AI at these giant corporations, 91% are utilizing some sort of AI-enabled assistant, with predicting shopper conduct as essentially the most typically cited use. The highest three Gen AI makes use of by advisors within the Advisor360° survey are predictive analytics, advertising and marketing and summarizing assembly notes.
And this can be a good segue again to speaking in regards to the annual T3 survey and a few particular merchandise.
Soar, Zeplyn and Zocks
Whereas it was the primary yr that Soar appeared within the T3 survey, I’ve been protecting it and several other different AI-powered startups with promise intently for a while.
At the start of February, Soar introduced a $20 million Collection A funding spherical led by Battery Ventures, bringing the full capital raised to $24.6 million. Simply this week, the agency introduced it has grow to be certainly one of Osaic’s (previously Advisor Group) official expertise distributors.
In its first yr showing in T3’s survey, Soar captured a bit over 8% market share within the transcription/textual content seize providers class, which is fascinating as a result of, as Bruckenstein and Veres notice, the startup has surged forward of three different venerable non-AI merchandise whose market share has remained small for a number of years (CopyTalk 3%, OtterPilot 2%, and Cell Assistant, 2%). It was additionally, by far, with 108 advisors choosing it, the highest program on this class that “respondents have been contemplating” (subsequent in line was CopyTalk with 28).
For these unfamiliar, Soar can do a number of issues and has constructed an AI assistant for monetary advisors that may largely automate recording shopper conversations, transcribe them and produce notes, job lists, summaries and compliance data. It has integrations with Zoom, Microsoft, Google, Salesforce and the favored advisor-specific CRM functions Redtail and Wealthbox, amongst others.
Soar additionally leaped onto the scene within the onboarding/proposal technology, grabbing an over 5% market share behind the venerable non-AI-powered PreciseFP product, which had an nearly 7% share. In each the classes it was listed, Soar additionally had very excessive common satisfaction scores, as did two different AI-powered merchandise, Zeplyn and Zocks.
I’ve written a couple of instances about Zeplyn, most lately in February, as {industry} veteran Kabir Sethi joined its board. It does most of the similar issues that Soar does, and this week introduced a brand new suite of follow administration capabilities, together with a brand new advisor hub, superior assembly prep options for automating assembly agendas and post-meeting summaries and pre-meeting e mail creation, amongst many different new options.
Whereas Soar has a head begin when T3 market share shopper onboarding and proposal technology instruments, Zeplyn made the checklist this yr with 0.23%, and each its CEO Period Jain and Kabir Sethi are on the convention circuit, together with classes at T3.
And for its half Zocks made a giant announcement this week as properly, having raised a $13.8 million Collection A spherical led by Motive Ventures with participation from a number of of its present traders as properly. It launched a yr in the past with a $5.5 million seed spherical. Motive has numerous advisors and finish purchasers being served by the opposite constituents of its portfolio of corporations, which may imply regular progress.
I think Zeplyn and Zocks, may make up numerous floor over the approaching yr, and will probably be fascinating to see the way it and others do in varied {industry} awards packages and convention competitions.
For instance, in June, Soar received Greatest in Present out of 11 competing corporations and functions throughout the WealthStack expertise demos competitors, a part of the Wealth Administration EDGE convention. In September, it additionally took dwelling three WealthManagement.com Business Awards within the classes of Expertise Disruptor, Progressive New Functions and Advisor Alternative Applied sciences. It additionally received Wealthtech Startup of the 12 months from the analysis and consultancy agency Datos Insights (previously the Aite-Novarica Group).
