Executives to discuss the benefits – and risks – of artificial intelligence at popular industry event
There’s just over a week remaining until the highly-anticipated 2026 Women in Mortgage Summit – and Canada’s leading executives are gearing up for an unmissable full-day networking and educational event.
The event will land at Toronto’s International Centre on September 24, featuring panels, presentations and networking opportunities with some of the foremost female professionals in Canada’s mortgage industry.
Sherri Vanderleeuw (pictured top), vice president of marketing at Magenta Capital Corporation, is set to appear on a workshop panel centred around the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the mortgage industry and how mortgage professionals can utilize it for best results.
This week, prominent tech leaders have urged a slowdown in the pace of AI development amid growing concern about emerging risks.
Vanderleeuw is clear-sighted about its benefits and shortcomings. “One of the important things with AI is that it’s a tool,” she told Canadian Mortgage Professional. “It’s not a replacement for elements that require human interaction or judgement – for example, if you’re underwriting a file, AI can only do so much.
“It’s also dependent on the information it can access within the connected knowledge source. Things like how you ask questions and what context you give it – the smallest detail you feed AI can make a huge difference in how it then responds to you.”
How AI will change the mortgage industry
But AI will still have a transformative effect on underwriting and the lending infrastructure, even if human involvement isn’t likely to disappear. “Naturally, it’s being used to drive productivity and efficiencies through everything from document processing to communications,” Vanderleeuw said.
Customer experience, too, is another area where she sees AI having an enormous impact. Borrowers today are bringing digital expectations formed in every other part of their lives into their mortgage journey, and AI will play an important role in helping address that reality.
“Individuals, borrowers – we’re looking for flexible, personalized digital experiences,” she said. “We expect all facets of our lives, from banking to ordering groceries, to be digital and fast. That doesn’t go away when you think about the mortgage side, but we also want our service providers to know us and give us the service we need.
“You really do need that personalization. The customer experience will help evolve some of it, for sure.”
So where should mortgage professionals still uncertain about where to begin with AI adoption take the first step?
Vanderleeuw’s advice: start small. “It can be this overwhelming, scary thing,” she said. “The way that I personally started was I found one repetitive task where AI could help me, and then I got comfortable using it.
“Then I gradually expanded into something a little bit more complex and learned how to interact with it. For me, it’s: start small and just slowly graduate to more complex applications as you start to see value.”
The value of being in the room
Beyond the AI discussion, Vanderleeuw said the value of the Women in Mortgage summit comes down to something harder to quantify than just a schedule of speakers or a list of sessions.
“What I love about that event is the vibe,” she said. “What I think is really different about this particular conference is the energy and the excitement that’s generated from it. It’s like an automatic connection because you have this shared experience and understanding, a camaraderie, a support. To me it’s more than just networking.”
Seasoned industry professionals know well how important it is to forge in-person connections – and while newer industry members might still feel nervous, Vanderleeuw said her own experience as a newcomer just under five years ago proved the value of networking.
“I’m a shining example of the fact that you don’t have to have been in the industry forever to benefit from going and participating,” she said. “I think people get scared sometimes, especially if they’re new to the industry. But this is a really fantastic way to meet people and learn, and then the energy becomes infectious.”
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