Erin Colledge, Executive Vice President of Platform Unification and AI Strategy at Orion, brings us a grounded view of how AI is being adopted inside advisory firms. As the industry moves past experimentation, Colledge describes a shift toward practical use cases that help advisors prepare for client conversations, understand exposure, and respond more quickly to market changes. The focus is no longer whether AI belongs in the workflow, but how it can be applied in ways that feel useful, controlled, and aligned with how advisors actually work.

She explains how Orion’s Denali AI is built around connected intelligence—bringing CRM, portfolio management, planning, risk, and compliance data together in context rather than across disconnected systems. With natural-language queries, firm-controlled data access, and explainable, auditable outputs, Denali AI is designed to turn unified data into action while maintaining privacy and oversight. As AI-native platforms evolve, Colledge highlights their potential to reduce operational friction and give advisors more time for client relationships and strategic work.

Resources: Orion

Outputs generated by Orion Denali AI should be reviewed for accuracy and appropriateness by financial professionals in all cases.

Orion Denali AI (Beta) is an early-access version available to selected users for testing and feedback. Final features and availability may differ at launch.

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