Thanks to AI Google’s latest hyper-realistic text-to-video engine, Veo3, is cinematic. Convincing. Emotional. And it makes one thing painfully clear: the AI revolution is not just coming, it’s already here.
And yes, it’s headed straight for the mortgage industry. This post was inspired by this recent HousingWire article.
AI at the Open House
Now picture this: a couple walks into an open house, greeted not by a person, but by a life-sized, ultra-realistic AI avatar on a screen. It smiles, makes eye contact, and, using advanced natural language capabilities, asks about their goals, explains their loan options, and even pulls up tailored pre-approval packages based on real-time financial data.
The couple is impressed. They feel heard. They leave with everything they need to make an offer.
There was no human loan officer present, but the experience still felt personal, consultative, and efficient.
The Growing Threat to Mortgage Jobs
It’s easy to see the appeal for companies. These tools promise 24/7 availability, no sick days, and no commissions. And as Rick Roque of NFM Lending warns, the implications for the mortgage workforce are massive. He predicts up to 175,000 job losses across roles like processors, underwriters, compliance staff, and support teams within the next five years. Even loan officers and branch managers won’t be immune, unless they evolve.
But Here’s the Positive Spin (Yes, There Is One): AI doesn’t eliminate value, it shifts where that value lives.
This isn’t the end of the story. It’s the start of a new chapter, and one filled with opportunity for those willing to grow.
AI is an incredibly powerful tool, but it still lacks the human factor that turns transactions into trust. It can’t replicate lived experience, empathy, or intuition. And that’s where forward-thinking mortgage professionals can thrive.
1. Become an AI-Enabled Advisor
Technology should be seen as a powerful support system, not a substitute. Rather than fearing the tools, learn them. Use AI to pre-underwrite files, build dynamic presentations, draft client emails, and analyze loan scenarios in seconds. The faster you adopt, the more valuable you become. The most effective AI solutions are the ones that amplify human potential, freeing up time from repetitive tasks so professionals can focus on the real value: advising clients, nurturing relationships, solving problems, and crafting solutions that require experience and judgment. Tools that enhance the workforce make teams more agile, more insightful, and more human, not less.
2. Double Down on Human Connection
Nuance, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving are still deeply human strengths. In a world full of synthetic agents, authenticity wins. Make your face, your voice, and your compassion the part of the process that can’t be replaced. Be the advisor who adds empathy to the automated process, or the underwriter who brings experience and insight to decisions powered by data. Let technology surface the facts, and let your expertise give them meaning.
3. Use Tech as a Co-Pilot, Not a Competitor
Mortgage professionals of the future will act more like financial wellness coaches, using AI to crunch numbers, but leading with emotional intelligence and strategic insight. Think less “order taker,” more “wealth builder.” Adopt AI early and wisely. Let it prep your files, assist with recognizing risk, make faster decisions, and save money. The more it does in the background, the more you shine in the foreground.
4. Help Shape the Change
If you’re in leadership, or want to be, advocate for ethical, balanced adoption of AI. Use it to augment people, not erase them. Your voice matters in how your company adapts to this new reality.
Final Thoughts
AI isn’t the villain in this story, complacency is. If you’re in the mortgage industry, now is the time to ask yourself: “Am I choosing the right tools that enhance human potential, not attempt to replicate it?”
The next chapter of mortgage lending will be written by professionals who blend technology with trust, automation with empathy, and efficiency with expertise. We can’t stop AI from walking into the open house. But we can choose to walk in alongside it, smarter, more prepared, and ready to offer the one thing AI still can’t replicate: Authentic human connection.
Let’s make the future of mortgage not just high-tech, but high-trust. Lender Toolkit is leading the charge in providing automation solutions for lenders on Encompass. Learn more here.
