AFG’s Them Lam urges brokers to spend 15 minutes a day on AI but stresses human intelligence 'critical to the broker of the future'
ASX-listed mortgage aggregator AFG has unveiled an AI document tool that reads customer paperwork and pre-fills mortgage fact-finds.
AssistAI Document Intelligence, which was announced at the AFG Next national broker conference at Crown Melbourne on Wednesday, will be available to AFG brokers through its BrokerEngine Plus platform in the new year.
Customers upload supporting documents such as payslips, residential history and financial information. Document Intelligence reads and combines them, extracts the relevant details and pre-fills fields in the customer’s mortgage fact-find. The fact-find is the questionnaire brokers use to capture a borrower’s financial position before recommending a loan.
The system also runs automated verification checks across the documents, helping brokers spot incomplete information and potential discrepancies between documents.
“Our focus has always been on developing technology that makes a real difference to broker productivity,” said AFG chief digital officer Sam McCready. “The pilot has proven that AssistAI Document Intelligence saves significant time for both the broker and their clients. We’re excited about the potential to make this work faster and easier, while keeping brokers in control.”
BrokerEngine Plus is part of the group’s Suite360 technology offering for AFG brokers.
“AI isn’t going to replace mortgage brokers, but it will change how they work,” said McCready. “Brokers who embrace AI will have more time for the conversations that win clients and grow their businesses. It’s their judgement, advice and relationships that set them apart, and that’s where they should be spending their time.”
A better customer experience
Them Lam (pictured), AFG's chief distribution and marketing officer, made a similar case when he addressed the technology before a packed room of brokers on Wednesday – but he framed it in broader terms than pure efficiency.
"What technology gives us is a better customer experience and a better journey for every customer," Lam said. "The productivity gains should mean that you can focus more on the things that matter most – the high-value activities that you do."
Lam drew on a conversation he'd had that morning with a broker who put it simply: ‘HI’ would be more important than AI. "He said ‘it's the human intelligence that is so critical to the broker of the future’," Lam recounted. "And that starts now."
That didn't stop Lam from challenging brokers who were putting off getting to grips with AI. "How many people in this room have said, 'I will learn AI later'?" he asked, urging brokers to commit to 15 minutes at the start of every day building their skills instead. "The person in charge is still you, but utilise AI where it makes sense."
For Lam, the habits that separate the best brokers from the rest are consistent: they know their numbers, stay close to their customers, market in every market, and make time for technology. The goal, he said, is to reach a point where the business doesn't depend entirely on its owner's output – a business that keeps running even if you step away for two or three months.
"Control what you can control," he told the room. His practical takeaway: pick one habit to change, embed it over 30 days, then move to the next.
AFG Next is the aggregator’s annual national broker conference, held this year at Crown Melbourne from 9 to 12 November. More than 900 brokers, lenders and industry partners attended.
This year’s speakers included chief executive David Bailey and Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus. The 2027 conference will be held in Auckland, New Zealand.
