Durham broker says younger and older clients alike are rejecting AI-generated video on social media
Artificial intelligence has been a gamechanger for the mortgage industry – but somewhat paradoxically, the rise of AI solutions is pushing plenty of mortgage brokers to find ways to amplify the human touch and focus on the value they can provide separate from ChatGPT and Claude.
For Sherry Corbitt (pictured top), a mortgage broker with Mortgage Architects in Ontario’s Durham region, that’s translated into building a social media presence on the principle that authenticity wins.
Short-form video content has become an increasingly prominent part of her marketing strategy, Corbitt told Canadian Mortgage Professional, in an approach that’s been influenced by the growing aversion of many Canadians to AI-generated slop.
Younger generations, Corbitt’s assistant told her, are not into watching videos created by AI. “They just want authentic,” Corbitt said. “They want the ums and ahs. They want somebody to just do quick, genuine stuff.”
She also works on a significant volume of reverse mortgages, a product that naturally skews toward older, Facebook-active clients, and has noticed those generations are equally resistant to AI content – for a good reason.
“They’re scared of what’s fake,” Corbitt said. “So if they want to deal with you, then you have to be authentic and do your own videos.”
A recent CIRA (Canadian Internet Registration Authority) survey revealed that over half (53%) of Canadians encountered fake content generated by AI in the past year, up from 34% in 2025 and 20% in 2024.
And a Harris Poll Canada poll found that nearly nine in 10 Canadians are concerned about deceptive online content generated by AI, while a Roku Video-on-Demand Evolution study found that four out of five Canadians believe the use of AI in advertising should be labelled.
Industry pushes back on AI-generated advice
Mortgage industry members have also flagged the potential risks posed by AI mortgage misinformation for potential homebuyers.
Real Estate and Mortgage Institute of Canada (REMIC) founder and chief executive Joe White told CMP that AI “has a wonderful ability to give you an answer that sounds incredibly confident, but in many cases it’s the fine details that it gets wrong because it’s trained on everything out there on the internet – accurate information as well as inaccurate information.”
Other industry executives, including broker Angela Calla, say they’ve utilized AI for back-office workflow, but avoid it entirely for client conversations.
“We use it as a personal business resource to refine communication, strengthen our standard operating procedures, and improve efficiency,” Calla told CMP. “We don’t use AI to communicate directly with clients.”
How to jump on the authentic-content train
There’s no magic number for daily video output – Corbitt targets multiple a day, although she said each video typically focuses on addressing only one person, covering one topic, and answering one question.
That’s a formula she says creates a near-unlimited supply of material, as well as removing the production pressure that puts many brokers off starting.
Aside from knowing how to record and upload videos to social media platforms, Corbitt highlighted that the approach doesn’t require a huge amount of digital know-how. “I’m not tech savvy at all,” she said. “So being able to use just a few easy programs where you can do your subtext and things like that – it’s going really well. I’m enjoying it.”
New video content has helped Corbitt’s authenticity shine through, she said, as well as increasing brand awareness among first-time buyers and the cohort of Canadians who encounter mortgage advice while passively scrolling.
“I’m having success with my realtor partners who are dealing with first-time buyers… and the videos, I think that helps, too,” she said. “Because they’re watching the videos. So I’m not having a problem with that market.”
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