Almost three quarters (74%) of British consumers prefer to receive financial advice from human advisers rather than using artificial intelligence (AI), Unbiased has found.

The firm’s survey of 800 UK adults revealed that 40% of respondents would only be open to consulting a human adviser, while a further 34% said they would consult a human adviser using AI tools.

By comparison, just 6% said that they would choose to receive financial advice from an AI platform alone.

Unbiased stated that this suggests people are most comfortable when advice remains adviser-led.

Trust and personal connection were repeatedly cited as the main reasons for preferring human advice, and respondents emphasised the reassurance of "speaking to a person" or being able to "meet face-to-face" when making complex decisions.

Unbiased added that the data also highlights consumer mistrust and fear around AI. A quarter (25%) cited lack of human oversight, 23% pointed to the risk of poor or inaccurate advice, and 19% flagged concerns around data privacy and security.

Despite this, the survey highlighted clear roles for AI in supporting functions in the advice sector. Respondents most associated benefits with lower costs (24%), faster support (21%) and 24/7 availability (18%).

Furthermore, people were also open to AI being used for tasks like adviser matching (23%), answering financial questions (21%) or producing personalised reports or summaries (18%).

Unbiased said this suggests that consumers do see value in AI, but only in roles that assist rather than replace professional advice.

Managing director at Unbiased, Tim Grimsditch, concluded: "This research shows what many in the industry already sense: people want the human touch in financial advice.

"Trust and personal connection remain paramount, especially for life-changing financial decisions.

"At the same time, there’s clearly an acknowledgement of AI’s ability to play a supporting role — helping with efficiency, cost, and accessibility. The future isn’t AI instead of advisers, but advisers enabled by AI."

---