Parkison says the survey backs up a message she has been repeating to brokers
Artificial intelligence is working its way into nearly every corner of the mortgage process, from underwriting reviews to marketing content. For industry professionals, that shift comes with a worry about what gets automated next.
A new industry survey suggests that fear may be overstated. New data from AD Mortgage, which surveyed professionals across the industry, reveals that the human side of the business is still what sets top performers apart.
One lending executive says that finding lines up with what she has been telling brokers directly.
Michelle Parkison (pictured top), senior vice president of capital markets at AD Mortgage, said the results of the company's research reinforced a message she has been repeating to brokers throughout the industry's shift toward AI.
"This survey shows in the mortgage business that relationships are still very much key to the success of the broker," Parkison told Mortgage Professional America. "For brokers, making sure that their homeowners or potential homebuyers feel supported in the entire mortgage process, that can never be replaced."
Using AI to build relationships
Parkison said one figure from the survey surprised her more than the rest.
"I think one of the items that surprised me was the 55% plan to adopt new technology, because I think that was lower than I would have expected," she said. "But I also think that people have adopted it without really knowing that they've adopted it."
She pointed to AD Mortgage's underwriting process as an example. The company uses AI tools in several areas to speed up file reviews, often without borrowers or brokers realizing it.
For brokers, the adoption of new technology, whether knowingly or not, will help them build stronger bonds with customers, Parkison said.
"I think brokers can arm themselves with the knowledge of the AI and then be the communicator to their client with what it's doing," she said. "Their job becomes easier in the fact that they can explain that process better, which will help build stronger relationships for them and give them more time to go out and grow their business.”
AD Mortgage surveyed more than 300 mortgage professionals in July, including loan officers, brokers, processors and business owners. When asked which skill would matter most for success in 2027, 82% of respondents picked relationship building and communication, ahead of technology and AI tools at 58.4%.
The survey also asked where human expertise remains essential even as AI adoption grows. Building trust topped that list at 74.5%, followed by relationship management at 69% and negotiation at 48.2%.
Respondents were far more willing to hand off repetitive back-office work. CRM follow-ups, data entry and document collection ranked as the tasks professionals most expect AI to take over.
With those tasks automated, brokers can focus on bringing in more customers and closing more deals.
"With AI, mortgage professionals can use that time to explain the process and understand what the documents mean," she said. "They won't have to spend so much time asking them for documents and building it out and doing the nuts and bolts of the process. It'll be more relationship-based and supporting the client with providing information and explaining things."
Despite anxiety, confidence is strong
Those who took the survey listed some headwinds they would need to work through. Market volatility topped the list of concerns at 54.1%, followed by finding new clients at 49.8% and AI and automation itself at 41.6%.
Even so, most respondents described themselves as active participants in that shift, while a smaller share said they are mostly trying to keep pace or relying on experience alone.
The survey also found confidence in the profession's future running high, with respondents rating it an average of 8.5 out of 10 despite those concerns. Parkison said that number reflects growing comfort with the technology itself.
"The more people talk about it, the more normalized it becomes and does take the fear away from it," she said. "It definitely arms them with the information, which builds the confidence. Transparency helps with that too."
Parkison said the survey captured something important about where people's worries really lie.
"I think the survey did a great job," she said. "The fear is potential job loss, or taking over my duties. AI is really going to help you immensely, but relationships are still the key. That's something that technology can never take away. It's just going to help your relationships grow."
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