Almost half (48 per cent) of Gen Z adults have changed their minds about a financial decision after consulting artificial intelligence (AI), compared with just 2 per cent of people from the Silent Generation (aged 81 and older), according to research by Aegon.

The research on behalf of Aegon’s Money:Mindshift programme revealed a generational divide in attitudes towards AI, with 55 per cent of Gen Z (18-29 years old) saying they trust and use the technology, compared with 18 per cent of Baby Boomers (62-80 years old) and 11 per cent of the Silent Generation.

Younger adults were also more likely to use AI for personal matters, with almost a quarter (24 per cent) saying they would feel comfortable discussing financial concerns with AI, compared with 5 per cent of Boomers.

Aegon head of Money:Mindshift, Dr Tom Mathar, said: "The real story isn't whether people are using AI, it's how they're using it.

"What's particularly striking is that almost half of Gen Z say AI has changed their mind about a decision. For many younger adults, AI is becoming more than a source of information. It's increasingly a tool for exploring options, testing assumptions and thinking through important choices.”

Mathar added that AI can help people look at familiar decisions from a different perspective, which can be “powerful”, particularly when weighing complex financial trade-offs.

“Our research suggests people are increasingly treating AI as a partner for thinking those trade-offs through,” he said.

Mathar cautioned: "AI is excellent at surfacing information and challenging our assumptions, but it can only work with the information we give it.

"Many of life's biggest decisions are shaped by experiences, relationships and personal priorities that are difficult to capture in a prompt. AI only knows what you tell it, and a personal logic hardly transpires in a chat window."

Aegon’s Money:Mindshift initiative examined how people make decisions and navigate financial trade-offs, particularly when planning for longer lives.

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