AI has advanced from sci-fi pipe dream to widespread integration in no time at all. As expected, financial services is absolutely no exception, with plenty of use cases already, whether it’s document processing and verification, underwriting and decision-making or customer interaction and vulnerability detection.
While 75% of UK financial firms are currently using AI, large institutions such as Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays are actively piloting and deploying AI-enabled tools and solutions. NatWest, for example, recently made headlines with the launch of a homebuying and remortgage guidance app within ChatGPT.
The end of mortgage advice?
A recent article in the Financial Times by James Pickford explored the topic further, looking at the increasing shift from the “low-hanging fruit” of AI integration to what could look like mortgage advice. This has naturally made many in the advice sector worried and increased debate around the future of mortgage brokers and advice.
Rather than humans vs. machines though, the direction of travel feels far less dramatic. Despite some really impressive integrations, the overriding feeling is that AI is not poised to end mortgage advice. However, it will absolutely reshape the sector into something more data-driven, more responsive, and ultimately more reliant on human expertise than ever.
The obstacles
Alongside the opportunities, the FT article also sets out the obstacles. While advancing rapidly, there’s no doubt that AI is still flawed – with real concerns around accuracy, fairness and bias, data privacy and security – all significant red flags in a highly regulated industry like financial services.
It’s important to remember that regulatory context. Mortgage advice in the UK is not simply an information-matching exercise. It is a judgement-led, compliance-heavy process built around suitability assessments, risk management frameworks and lender-specific quirks that are built through years of muscle memory, rather than sitting neatly in datasets.
Against this backdrop, the trajectory still feels as if AI will enhance the human touch, rather than replace it.
A shift back to direct sales?
I recently watched In Talks with JD – the brilliant video series from John Doughty at Just Mortgages. He sat down with Stephanie Charman, the CEO of the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI), where they covered this very topic.
With increasing opportunity to pivot more towards direct sales, Stephanie said that the majority of lenders still appear to remain committed to putting their efforts behind brokers. She is absolutely clear though that firms need to embrace technology moving forward, including AI, to be more efficient, more productive and more thorough in their quality control. There is a need to leverage AI, technology and good data to augment the advice process, while keeping human advisers at the heart of the process.
Action required
Stephanie is absolutely right. Rather than sticking our heads in the sand and letting the motorway bypass our little village, advice firms need to up their game in embracing AI. This is true from an efficiency and customer service perspective, but also as the technology continues to transform search and visibility.
As the FT highlights, a growing proportion of borrowers are experimenting with AI-generated advice long before they speak to a broker. Visibility becomes less about search rankings, comparison sites or word of mouth alone, and more about whether a firm is present in the answers AI systems generate.
This is where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) becomes strategically important. If consumers are increasingly using AI platforms as a first port of call, then mortgage lenders and advisers must ensure that their brands, expertise and commentary are part of the training data and content that powers those systems. In practical terms, this means consistent thought leadership, high-quality explainers, clear digital authority signals, and ongoing participation in industry dialogue.
In other words, it’s no longer enough for firms to be good at what they do; they must also be discoverable in a brave new world of search.
The importance of PR
Rather than a reputational tool, PR and comms becomes mission-critical. As AI continues to shape the discovery phase, firms that fail to articulate their expertise risk becoming invisible at the exact moment consumers are looking for them. Equally, those that invest in credible, well-distributed content and expert positioning will be far better placed to be suggested.
Brokers are absolutely best placed to guide consumers through the biggest financial decision of their lives. Much like before, the priority for advice firms is remaining proactive, staying visible and demonstrating the value and expertise they can offer. It just so happens that this now extends beyond their local communities and their social media shop windows, to now include the world of AI search.
Rather than the “death of advice”, it’s likely we’ll see a shift in how and where advisers deliver their value in the process. While AI will likely handle speed, structure and signposting, humans will handle judgement, empathy and accountability. The greater focus for firms should arguably be determining if they are visible, credible and trusted enough to remain part of the conversation as AI changes advice.
To learn more about GEO and how a specialist agency can help with your PR and communications strategy, get in touch with bClear today.
Written by: Ashley Robertson
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