The data: Middle-aged Americans are more likely than younger consumers to use AI to research financial products, according to a BestMoney survey. 

And those recommendations often lead to consumers taking action.

• 69% of adults ages 45–60 have used AI to research or choose a financial product, compared with 63% of 18- to 29-year-olds, 60% of 30- to 44-year-olds, and just 28% of those ages 60 and older.
• 18% of 45- to 60-year-olds said they typically choose the first financial product they find without comparing alternatives, at least three times higher than any other age group

Why it matters: Across all age groups, 53% of consumers who used AI to research financial products said they applied for or opened the exact product AI recommended. Another 34% said AI influenced their shortlist, even if they ultimately chose something else. 

Implications for banks: More than 64% of Gen Xers said they weren't considering leaving their primary bank last year because they're satisfied, while another 11% say switching is too much work, per EMARKETER’s survey data. Gen Xers had higher loyalty than millennials or Gen Zers.

But using AI to research financial products could erode that loyalty by making it easier to compare rates, fees, and benefits without doing the research themselves.

That doesn't necessarily mean satisfied customers will abandon their primary banks. Instead, AI recommendations could encourage them to open additional accounts or products with competitors, potentially weakening those banking relationships over time.

Banks need to reach out proactively with recommendations for the best financial products for each life stage before customers use a third-party LLM to find that information.

Dive deeper: Read our report “AI Visibility Index: Financial Services Q2 2026 Insights” next to learn how leading brands appear in AI-generated recommendations across the financial sector.

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