Earlier this month, I found myself at dinner opposite a travel advisor’s worst nightmare: a luxury traveler who admitted to using Claude to plan his summer trip to Europe.
This man — a busy attorney and dad to three young kids — is not the only prospective client lured away by AI. A recent study by Phocuswright finds that travelers who use AI for travel planning take 3.8 leisure trips per year versus 2.9 among non-users, and they also spend $4,500 annually on travel compared to the $3,000 spent by those who do not use AI.
AI adoption should be causing all professionals to ask themselves if they are irreplaceable. My friend was happy with Claude’s hotel suggestions — Shangri-La Paris and Four Seasons Resort Mallorca — but he also shared that both he and his wife experienced panic attacks after the long, sleepless journey to Paris. No doubt, it’s tough traveling with kids, but a savvy advisor would have suggested tweaks to make their arrival feel less exhausting without him having to ask.
In the past, when I tried to suggest advisors to this friend, he reviewed their websites and felt unsure of their processes or value. Working with Claude, on the other hand, is immediate and effortless. So, the question to answer is: What can you do that Claude can’t?
This issue’s cover story looks at how some advisors are using AI to, essentially, make themselves better than AI. So, if you haven’t already, ask Claude to tell you how you can stop it from stealing more clients. Prompt it to analyze your messaging, your client onboarding system and any other processes you think are creating friction in your business. Lean into your humanness — even if you need Claude to tell you what that is — and make it the most visible marketing message you have.
