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If you still view artificial intelligence as some unrealized, head-in-the-clouds, “I’ll believe it when I see it” concept, you’re already behind the times. That's exactly what we discussed on a recent episode of Lykken on Lending, where our own Mike Russell (Director of Product Integrations and Innovation at Total Expert) and Assurance Financial's Jessica Thames (Director of Marketing) sat down with David Lykken to explore how AI is already reshaping the way lenders engage with borrowers, manage outreach, and scale their business without sacrificing the human connection at the heart of the industry.  

For many loan officers, the idea of letting an AI talk to their customers understandably raises some eyebrows. After all, how is a machine supposed to replicate (or even replace) the kind of conversation that people have with a trusted professional? But as our conversation demonstrates, that’s not the goal of mortgage-specific AI tools. Instead of replacing loan officers, tools like Total Expert’s AI Sales Assistant empower them to focus on what humans do best: build relationships, provide guidance, and help customers make important financial decisions with confidence.  

Part of our conversation focused on the evolution from generic chatbots to AI-enabled automated outreach. Where chatbots followed a rigid script and were confined to specific “yes/no” or “if this, then that” workflows, AI-enabled assistants are able to engage in more dynamic conversations, react to unscripted questions or challenges, and become an extension of a lending team. For example, by leveraging data from Total Expert Customer Intelligence, our AI Sales Assistant can act on intent signals like credit improvement, rate drops, or equity thresholds that might otherwise go untouched. Loan officers can only make so many phone calls or emails in a given week, but an AI Sales Assistant can engage multiple opportunities simultaneously and won’t get discouraged if they don’t get an immediate response.  

Perhaps the most compelling part of the conversation came from the real success stories shared. Mike explained how early pilots showed real results within weeks, transforming difficult-to-convert leads into appointments that a loan officer could close, without manually dialing dozens of times. Jessica also highlighted how being freed from low-value tasks allowed her team to concentrate on delivering meaningful borrower interactions — and that this shift is fundamentally what AI should be about.

David, Mike, and Jessica also tackled the elephant in the room: the fear of AI replacing people. Rather than seeing AI as a threat, both Mike and Jessica frame it as a force multiplier that enhances productivity, enriches human jobs, and lets loan officers do more in less time. Mortgage professionals already use automated tools for things like email sequences or text triggers, but AI can’t replace our ability to empathize with a borrower who has credit challenges or a homeowner who needs a HELOC to help pay for urgent repairs. AI can only help you show up for more customers in the moments that matter.

The episode also dives into practical considerations like compliance, data quality, and best practices for implementation by giving listeners a grounded understanding of not just why AI matters, but how to make it work in real mortgage environments.

Catch the conversation