Swipe to Invest: Exploring the Influence of AI-Based Finance Tools On Investment Confidence Among First-Time Investors in India

Although AI based finance tools are becoming increasingly common in India, little is known about whether they genuinely improve the confidence and investment decisions of first time investors across different age groups. The study examines how AI-based financial technologies, including investing chatbots, robo-advisors, and financial learning applications, influence the confidence and investment decisions of first-time investors in India. The research contrasts the experiences of Gen Z (18–25 years old) and adult (26–45 years old) first-time investors using a mixed-methods design comprising a quantitative survey of 170 participants and a qualitative pilot study of 12 participants. This paper delves into how AI characteristics can most effectively increase investor confidence, whether confidence-inducing effects can be converted into actual investment behavior, and how cultural norms, complexity, and trust influence trust barriers between age groups and gender through a literature review, administering a survey, conducting a case study of 3 well-known Indian fintech platforms (Groww, Zerodha, and INDMoney), and performing an inferential statistical test based on chi-square analysis. The implications of the findings are for financial inclusion policy, fintech product design, educational curricula, and gender equity in India’s capital markets.