Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. has released a practice guidance note on the use of artificial intelligence in financial planning, setting out how financial planning professionals should use AI while continuing to meet their ethical and professional obligations. The guidance is designed to support the use of AI for efficiency, insight and client service, but makes clear that professional judgment, human oversight, transparency and confidentiality must remain central and that planners remain responsible for the advice and recommendations they provide. The note applies across the financial planning process, including client communication, data gathering and research, and links AI use back to FPSB’s Global Financial Planning Standards. It highlights privacy, cybersecurity, and the accuracy and reliability of AI outputs as areas requiring particular care, and states that AI should support rather than replace professional expertise and critical thinking. FPSB said the guidance was developed by its Professional Standards Committee in consultation with its network of organizations representing more than 236,000 CFP professionals worldwide. Supporting 2025 research cited by FPSB found that two in three financial planners said their firms are already using AI or plan to do so within 12 months, while 78% believed AI would help them better serve clients and 60% said it would improve advice quality. The guidance is intended to complement FPSB’s Global Financial Planning Standards and does not replace local laws or regulations that apply to financial planning professionals.

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