THINKING ALOUD

AI relationships, no. AI relationship managers, yes

If you have less than a million dollars in liquid assets, you might be offloaded onto a chatbot. That day cannot come soon enough

    • With AI likely to replace human wealth managers for the mass affluent, this writer argues that the shift is not necessarily a bad one.
    • With AI likely to replace human wealth managers for the mass affluent, this writer argues that the shift is not necessarily a bad one. PHOTO: PIXABAY
    Joyce Hooi
    Published Tue, Jun 30, 2026 · 07:15 AM

    AS A happily married – if frequently exasperated – woman, I hadn’t expected to have the “It’s not you, it’s me” conversation with a man last week.

    But there I was, trapped in a doomed phone call with the latest relationship manager to be saddled with my plodding mass-affluent bank account.

    As he tried to cajole me into meeting in person, I wondered what he would attempt to sell me this time. An equity-linked note product? A unit trust with an upfront sales charge? An investment-linked insurance policy with hefty premium payments?