How Retail Investors Are Using AI in 2026

Almost Two-Thirds of Retail Investors Are Using AI to Inform Investment Decisions, Investing.com Survey Finds

65% of investors using AI say the technology has improved their investment performance

Retail investors are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to guide their investment decisions. A new Investing.com survey of 938 U.S.-based retail investors shows that 62% are already using AI tools to help inform their investment decisions — with 23.6% saying they use them regularly, 27.4% occasionally, and 11.5% saying they have tried them once or twice.

At the same time, 21.0% say they have not yet used AI but are considering it, while 16.6% say they do not plan to use AI tools for investing at all.

"Arguably, there are only a handful of industries in which AI has proven as disruptive as quickly as it has in the financial industry," said Thomas Monteiro, senior analyst at Investing.com. "This is even more pronounced for retail investors, where companies can now offer access to all types of financial-grade tools at a fraction of what they cost just a couple of years ago. As these models evolve and become increasingly relevant, usage is likely to continue growing—even among those already interacting with some type of AI investment assistant."

ChatGPT and AI Research Tools Lead Adoption

Among investors who have experimented with AI tools, AI chatbots such as ChatGPT are the most widely used, with 53.5% of respondents saying they have used them for investing-related research.

Other tools reported by investors include:

• 30.6% using AI-powered research or stock-screening tools
• 6.4% using AI portfolio management tools
• 4.5% using automated trading algorithms

Investors Are Using AI Primarily for Research

When asked how they use AI in their investment process, the survey found that investors most commonly rely on AI for research-related tasks.

The most frequently cited uses include:

• 62.4% using AI to research stocks or other assets
• 35% using it to better understand market news
• 34.4% using it to generate trading ideas
• 21.7% using it to help make portfolio decisions

How Often Investors Use AI

The survey also explored how frequently investors rely on AI tools.

Among respondents:

• 21.8% say they use AI very often
• 36.5% say they use it sometimes
• 16.0% say they use it rarely

Investors Remain Cautious About AI Advice

While adoption is growing, many investors say they remain cautious about relying entirely on AI-generated insights.

When asked how much they trust AI-generated investment analysis:

• 3.8% said they completely trust it
• 19.8% said they mostly trust it
• 53.5% said they trust AI somewhat but verify information elsewhere
• 12.7% said they do not trust it much
• 10.2% said they do not trust AI insights at all

"At this stage of rapid development and early adoption, it is natural for investors to question the accuracy of the AI models they're working with," Monteiro added. "That doesn't necessarily mean, however, that they distrust AI technology for financial markets as a whole. The questions for these investors is not whether to use AI, but how to separate what's truly game-changing from what's just hype."

Many Investors Are Experimenting With AI-Generated Trade Ideas

The survey also asked investors whether they had ever acted on an AI-generated investment idea.

The results show that:

• 26.6% say they have followed AI-generated trade ideas multiple times
• 8.9% say they have done so once
• 20.9% say they have not yet but may consider it
• 43.7% say they have never acted on an AI-generated recommendation

More Than Half Expect AI Use to Increase

Looking ahead, many investors say they expect their use of AI tools to increase.

When asked how their use of AI may change in the future:

• 37.8% said they expect to use AI much more
• 17.3% said they expect to use it slightly more
• 11.5% expect their use to stay about the same
• 3.9% expect to use it less

65% of AI Users Say It Improves Their Performance

Among investors who have already used AI tools, many say the technology is helping them perform better.

The survey found that:

• 17.14% say AI has significantly improved their investment performance
• 47.61% say it has somewhat improved their performance

Combined, that means roughly 65% of AI users report improved results when using AI tools.

Meanwhile:

• 33.33% say AI has made no difference
• 1.91% say it made their performance worse

"Broad access to complex financial models is rapidly leveling the playing field, enabling retail investors to compete at largely the same level as professional investors," said Monterio. "In the near future, those who lack access to these models could potentially be left behind, as the gap between good and bad decision-making widens due to the increasing sophistication of the market."

What Investors See as the Biggest Advantages of AI

When asked about the biggest advantages of using AI in investing, respondents most frequently cited speed and data analysis.

The top responses included:

• 39.5% say AI allows faster analysis of market data
• 14.0% say it helps identify opportunities earlier
• 14.6% say it reduces emotional decision-making
• 12.1% say it makes investing easier and more accessible
• 19.8% say they see no real advantage

Investors Still Have Concerns About AI in Markets

Despite growing adoption, the survey also highlights several concerns investors have about AI-driven investing.

Respondents identified the following as their biggest concerns:

• 38.9% worry about incorrect or misleading AI recommendations
• 24.2% worry about market herding if many investors use the same signals
• 21.0% worry about over-reliance on automation
• 8.3% cite lack of transparency in AI models
• Only 7.6% say they have no concerns about AI in investing.

AI Tools Are Expanding Across Investing Platforms

The trend is also reflected in the rapid expansion of AI-powered investing tools across financial platforms.

Investing.com has been investing heavily in its AI-powered InvestingPro suite, which includes tools such as WarrenAI, a conversational financial research assistant, and ProPicks AI, designed to deliver institutional-grade market insights and help investors identify high-potential stocks and uncover new investment opportunities, using advanced data analysis and machine learning.

Conclusion

Taken together, the survey results suggest that AI is quickly becoming a meaningful part of how retail investors research markets and evaluate investment opportunities. With 62% of investors already using AI tools in some form, and more than half saying they expect their use of AI to increase in the future, adoption appears likely to continue growing as new tools become available.

At the same time, the data also shows that investors are approaching the technology cautiously. While 65% of AI users say it has improved their market performance, a majority of respondents say they still verify AI-generated insights with other sources before acting on them.

As AI-powered research tools become more widely available across investing platforms, the survey suggests that artificial intelligence is moving beyond experimentation and becoming an increasingly common feature of the retail investing landscape.

Methodology

The survey was conducted March 3–10, 2026, based on polling 938 American adult investors.