This month, our team attended the T3 technology conference in New Orleans, where everyone attending was wondering the same: how will AI reshape advisory firms?
Here’s what we heard.
AI is no longer a tool-level conversation. Firms are stepping back and rethinking how the business runs: where time goes, where things break, and how teams are structured. This is starting to change the work itself, not just the tools around it.
Most RIAs are already using AI in some form. So the question isn’t who’s using it. It’s what actually changes because of it. Here are the three themes we heard most:
1. TRUST 🔒
Firms are experimenting with new tools, but confidence in the outputs is still low, especially in compliance, documentation, and client communication.
Takeaway: As AI becomes more embedded, trust and compliance won’t be side considerations, but core buying criteria.
2. DATA 📊
AI is exposing a more fundamental need. It’s not about just having better tools, but better data too. If data isn’t owned, structured, and consistent across the firm, AI amplifies the gaps instead of fixing them.
Takeaway: Firms that invest in data integrity and ownership will pull ahead. Over time, this will become valuable IP, not just infrastructure.
3. WORK 💼
We can all agree AI will reshape how we work, but not in a fully predictable way. In wealth management, it’s less about jobs disappearing and more about how the work changes.
Takeaway: The practitioners who learn how to integrate AI into their workflows will become exponentially more effective than those who don’t.
This shift is already taking shape in how some firms are structuring diligence and workflow.