The Chambre de la sécurité financière (CSF) is pleased to have contributed to the design and production of the “Enquête sur l’utilisation de l’intelligence artificielle dans les professions liées à la planification financière et fiscale”. The report was recently published by the Chaire IG Gestion de patrimoine en planification financière, in the Faculty of Business Administration at Université Laval. The report is only available in French for now, but it will be translated to English and submitted to scientific reviews.

In spring 2024, a vast survey was conducted among financial industry players, including CSF members, to find out their use and perception of artificial intelligence. The survey questionnaire was designed by the IG Chair in collaboration with its concertation table, in which the CSF plays an active role.

"The distribution of financial products and services is evolving rapidly, and artificial intelligence is rapidly gaining ground. To manage its use in an enlightened way, we need to understand not only its capabilities and risks, but also the lessons learned from real-life use cases. That's why the CSF believes it is essential to support research that will shed light on the application of artificial intelligence, which could reveal concrete issues for the protection of the public," says Christian Faubert, Vice-President, Corporate Services at the CSF.

Strong interest, but limited adoption

Conducted among 1,061 professionals - the majority of whom have over ten years' experience - the survey reveals a community that is mobilized, informed... and cautious. While almost 80% of respondents recognize the potential of generative AI, particularly for automating repetitive tasks (66%) and improving efficiency, its use is still modest: just 7% used it daily a year ago, mainly for information retrieval and writing. ChatGPT tops the list of tools mentioned, but its use in complex contexts remains marginal.

Obstacles to be overcome

Despite favorable integration prospects in the medium term, a number of obstacles are still holding back adoption. Top of the list: reliability of results, professional liability and lack of clear policies. More than half of respondents (55%) believe that their organization currently has no AI guidelines.

A complementary role for human skills

Faced with the rapid evolution of these technologies, respondents insist on the value of human skills. Empathy, professional judgment, critical analysis and communication remain essential for framing, interpreting and enhancing the use of AI in professional contexts.

The full survey report is available online on the Chaire IG website.