Avatars in Armani — How AI Analysts Are Reshaping the Future of Finance & Risk Management
When UBS digitally cloned three dozen equity analysts into AI-generated avatars, it wasn’t just experimenting with client communications but sounding the opening bell on a new era in financial services. This wasn’t deepfake theatre or AI as a back-office assistant. It was artificial intelligence stepping into the polished shoes of the investment banker.
The avatars, trained to deliver short videos based on research notes—complete with facial expressions and gestures—represent a subtle but significant shift. UBS reports that clients respond to them as positively as traditional analysts, even if the result feels slightly uncanny.
UBS isn’t alone. Morgan Stanley uses AI to generate meeting notes. Goldman Sachs runs co-pilots that assist with everything from code to content translation. But with avatars, AI is stepping out from behind the curtain and into the client’s direct line of sight.
From Efficiency to Front Office
Historically, AI in finance has been used to automate repetitive work—summarizing documents, scanning earnings reports, or flagging regulatory shifts. But UBS’s approach signals a future where synthetic intelligence doesn’t just support human analysts—it presents on their behalf. As large language models evolve and real-time data becomes easier to synthesize, the idea of AI actively shaping market commentary or asking questions on earnings calls moves from science fiction to a strategic roadmap.
Cost Control, Scalability, and Trust
In a world where sell-side research is difficult to monetize and often bundled with other services, AI-generated output offers a compelling value proposition. It enables research teams to increase production without expanding headcount—and to serve more niche or specialized audiences at scale.
Crucially, AI also brings consistency. Unlike a live presenter, an avatar never varies tone, misses a message, or stumbles over disclosure boundaries. That makes it a potentially powerful tool in highly regulated settings—provided controls remain in place.
A Trusted Resource
Unlike a live presenter, an avatar never varies tone, misses a message, or stumbles over disclosure boundaries. That makes it a potentially powerful tool in highly regulated settings—provided controls remain in place.
The Robo-Advisor Precedent
If avatars feel futuristic, it’s worth remembering that robo-advisors have quietly reshaped investment management for over a decade. Platforms like Betterment and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios codified risk tolerance, asset allocation, and portfolio rebalancing into rule-based algorithms—and won over millions of investors. UBS simply applies that same logic to research delivery. And just as robo-advisors found their place alongside traditional wealth managers, AI presenters may become a new fixture in client-facing financial services.
AI Agents Enter the Consulting Arena
The AI analyst trend isn’t limited to banks. EY, one of the world’s largest risk consultancies, is actively embedding AI agents—referred to as “digital FTEs”—into its client delivery teams. These agents are already at work in offerings like third-party risk, synthesizing contracts, SOC reports, and risk telemetry to power human oversight.
According to EY Global Risk Consulting Leader Kapish Vanvaria, 90% of EY’s risk engagements now rely on multidisciplinary teams, including AI agents working with legal, audit, tax, and sector-specific experts. The result isn’t just speed—it’s better efficacy and sharper risk decisions.
A Different Approach at Wheelhouse
At Wheelhouse Advisors, we’ve adopted a different model. We deploy editorial intelligence to amplify the signal rather than using avatars to mimic human advisors. Our constructed advisors—Ori Wellington and Sam Jones—synthesize insights across GRC, ERM, TRM, and ORM domains. Their role isn’t to replicate anyone. It’s to integrate everything.
As synthetic intelligence matures, the future of analysis may not belong to the most lifelike face—it may belong to the sharpest lens.
The AI advisor may no longer be a novelty as professional services evolve. It may become a requirement.
Source References
Fortune - “European bank UBS is seeing strong demand for AI-generated video avatars of its analysts” (May 20, 2025)
UBS Group AG – Press briefings on AI analyst avatar deployment (2025)
Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs – AI co-pilot announcements and applications (2024–2025)
SEC.gov – Form ADV filings for Betterment, Wealthfront, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios
EY – “The Future of the Firm” podcast, Source Global Research, featuring Kapish Vanvaria (May 2025)
Wheelhouse Advisors – IRM Navigator™ Model and Research archive
