John O’Connell Mentioned in Wealth Advisor:AI’s Biggest Fiduciary Risk May Arrive After Advisors Learn To Trust It

John O’Connell was recently featured in The Wealth Advisor on a fiduciary risk that emerges as AI gets better, not worse. Firms have spent two years worrying about whether AI gives advisors bad answers, but his concern is what happens once the tool is reliable enough that advisors gradually stop checking its work.  John says that fiduciary responsibility doesn’t move with the work: AI can generate the recommendation, but accountability stays with the person presenting it, and an advisor who can’t independently explain why it fits the client hasn’t delegated judgment, they’ve lost it. AI doesn’t have to replace advisors to weaken their judgment. It just has to become good enough that disagreeing with it starts to feel unnecessary.