Why empathy and accountability still set human advisers apart from AI
Artificial intelligence is changing the way financial advice networks operate, but it will never substitute the relationship between a client and their adviser.
As AI tools become embedded across financial services, debate about their role in regulated advice has sharpened. Zachary Bawa (pictured top), sales director of Rosemount Financial Solutions (IFA), is clear the technology has genuine value, but draws a firm line between administrative efficiency and professional judgement.
"When it comes to the admin involved in the work of financial advisers, such as data entry and paraplanning, then it's clear that AI can take on a lot of the work involved," he told Mortgage Introducer. "But that doesn't make up the bulk of what an adviser does – the adviser still needs to be around, to speak to the clients and get to the bottom of what they actually want to achieve."
Where AI ends and advice begins
The distinction Bawa draws is not simply about complexity. It is about accountability and empathy – qualities he argues no AI system currently possesses.
"It's one thing to go to AI for help with budgeting, but quite another to get their support with a mortgage or pensions, or even your taxes," he said. "These systems don't have empathy, they aren't able to get to know clients in the way that an adviser does. And they can't be held accountable either."
That accountability point carries particular weight in the current regulatory environment. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its Mortgage Rule Review roadmap in December, framing AI as a tool to help brokers deliver faster advice while making clear the adviser retains responsibility for the final decision. For networks like Rosemount, that framing aligns with how they have chosen to deploy the technology.
The broader picture suggests adviser adoption of AI is accelerating, even if confidence in AI-generated recommendations remains limited. Research from The Lang Cat's State of the Advice Nation report found the proportion of advice firms using AI rose from 29% to 60% in a single year, with adoption reaching 88% among larger firms. Nearly half of those surveyed (46%) cited trust in AI outputs as their primary concern, while 40% pointed to compliance and regulatory considerations. It is a tension familiar across the broker community, and one the industry is only beginning to work through.
Can AI ever replace a mortgage adviser?
At Rosemount, the network has taken a deliberate approach to where AI is deployed, focusing on process efficiency rather than client-facing decisions.
"As a network, we've embraced AI in areas where it can actively support our advisers, such as aiding the process for signing off financial promotions or to simplify dealing with ceding scheme providers," Bawa said. "But those tools are there to help advisers, not replace them."
His view on consumer-facing AI tools is equally measured. While he accepts tools such as ChatGPT may have a role in helping consumers manage everyday finances, he is emphatic that this does not extend to regulated advice on mortgages or long-term financial planning.
A 2026 survey of UK brokers found 33% said they would be comfortable with greater use of AI or automation in parts of the mortgage journey, while 20% said AI would not have a meaningful positive impact on the process at all. Meanwhile, wider survey data on adviser reluctance to adopt AI suggests the profession remains firmly protective of the personal service that defines its offer.
"While it can make sense to use something like ChatGPT to get some advice over your credit card spending, that's completely different from using it to work out which mortgage is right for you, or to build a long-term financial plan," Bawa said.
What the future holds for AI in advice networks
Bawa does not dismiss AI's long-term trajectory. He acknowledges its role in the advice process will grow. But he stops well short of the more dramatic predictions circulating across the industry. The FCA's 2025 advice market survey was clear that personalised advice remains central to the market, with AI changing adviser capacity rather than the nature of the role itself.
The question for networks is not whether AI will transform the operational side of financial advice – it already is – but whether the industry can deploy it in a way that strengthens rather than dilutes the human relationship at the heart of regulated advice.
For Bawa, the answer is unambiguous. "The use of AI by advisers will increase in the years ahead, but I don't believe it can ever actually replace the advisers themselves."
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