Young investors keep control as AI enters investing

Most favour AI-assisted investing rather than full automation.

Young Singapore investors are open to artificial intelligence (AI) in their investment decisions but most want to retain control, with 78% preferring models that involve human input, according to a report from Trust Bank and Grapevine Consulting.

The report found that 49% favour hybrid, guided automation, where investors set goals and approve major decisions, whilst AI executes transactions. Another 29% prefer assisted manual investing, using AI for research whilst executing investments themselves.

Only 15% prefer fully automated investing, where AI makes investment decisions based on their goals, whilst 7% want to invest without AI.

“Whilst fully automated investing remains a minority preference, openness to AI is widespread at 93%,” the report said.

AI chatbots are already the third-most-used investing tool, used by 26% of active investors. Watchlists are used by 30%, followed by price alerts at 27%.

Some 65% of active investors make investment decisions independently, including 34% who invest fully independently and 31% who make decisions mostly on their own whilst discussing investments with family or friends.

Amongst residents aged 18–40, 51% are actively investing, whilst 33% have never invested and 16% have stopped investing.

Amongst active investors, 65% use dollar-cost averaging, whilst 65% made an investment transaction within the past month. Some 88% check their portfolios at least once a month.

Young investors also start investing early. Some 74% of active investors aged 18–24 made their first investment by age 20, whilst 88% of active investors aged 25–40 started by age 30.

Investors use a range of sources to research investments. YouTube is the most common source at 40%, followed by TikTok and Instagram at 32%, and financial news at 31%.

Short videos of less than five minutes are the most valued form of educational content, cited by 41% of respondents. Personalised analysis followed at 36%, whilst 35% valued market commentary.

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