That comment reflected a wider theme in the feedback received after Piers Linney’ s keynote session at the inaugural Omni Protect Conference in July. It wasn’ t the only one.

Advisers spoke about the need to evolve their businesses, spend less time on administration, create more time with clients and better understand how AI could support the way they work day to day. Others talked about the impact AI could have on their business, the need to“ get to grips with AI”, and how technology could help them identify opportunities that may already exist within their client bank.

For many delegates, the session wasn’ t really about technology. It was about time. It was about efficiency. It was about creating capacity. And ultimately, it was about becoming a better adviser.

That was perhaps the most important message from Piers’ session: AI is not something advisers need to fear, but it is something they need to start understanding.

It’ s not about AI. It’ s about running a better business

When AI is discussed in the media, the conversation often centres on sweeping predictions about the future, the latest technology launches or concerns about jobs.

But that wasn’ t the focus of Piers’ presentation. His message was far more practical; ignore the noise and focus on where AI can create a measurable improvement in your business. His keynote address specifically encouraged firms to focus on proven AI solutions that deliver clear returns, rather than becoming distracted by technology for technology’ s sake.

For firms, that means starting with a simple question: Where is my business losing time, missing opportunities or making things harder than they need to be?

For many, those challenges are already well known. Time is spent rewriting similar client emails, producing marketing content, following up with review clients, managing administration and keeping up with industry changes. None of these issues are new, what has changed is the range of tools available to help tackle them.

The starting point is simple; where is your business losing time or creating unnecessary work?

Creating more capacity, not replacing people

One of the most thought-provoking concepts from the session was the idea of creating a“ digital workforce”.

This isn’ t about replacing advisers or removing human judgement from the advice process. It’ s about using AI to support the administrative and operational tasks that sit around it, allowing advisers to focus on where they add the most value.

Much of an adviser’ s week can be taken up by drafting emails, updating CRM records, preparing review communications, researching technical questions and summarising meeting notes. These tasks are important, but they’ re not where advisers add the most value.

That value comes from building relationships, understanding clients’ needs, identifying risks and helping people make informed financial decisions.

8 | Protection Adviser Online