AI, Banking, and the Human Connection

Guest Editorial by Aleyna Groves, COO of Groves Capital, CEO of Groves IQ

For more than 20 years, I’ve lived and breathed the mortgage business. I’ve worked in retail lending, wholesale, and now serve as the COO of Groves Capital, one of the fastest-growing brokerages in the country. Through every cycle-boom and bust, regulation and innovation-one truth has remained the same: Banking and mortgages are, at their heart, about people and relationships.

Buying a home or securing a loan isn’t just a financial transaction. It’s about families putting down roots, entrepreneurs chasing dreams, and communities building stability. Relationships have always been at the core of this industry, and they always will be.

Now, as artificial intelligence begins reshaping financial services, the question is: What happens to that human connection?

Some worry that AI will replace people-that algorithms will take over the jobs of loan officers, processors, and bankers. I see it differently. AI is not here to replace us. It’s here to enhance us.

At Groves IQ, the company I founded, we’ve built AI tools designed to make the mortgage process smoother for everyone involved-borrowers, loan officers, processors, account executives, title, and escrow. Instead of spending countless hours buried in paperwork, chasing conditions, or updating pipelines, professionals can let AI handle the “busywork.” That frees us to focus on what actually matters: building trust, deepening relationships, and guiding clients through one of the most important financial decisions of their lives.

This is what excites me about AI because it gives us back our most valuable resource-time. Time to meet with clients instead of managing files. Time to focus on strategy instead of data entry. Time to be present with our families and communities instead of chained to our desks.

The truth is, roles in banking will change. Just like the ATM didn’t eliminate tellers but transformed their work into more advisory roles, AI will shift what we focus on. Those who embrace it will become more productive, creative, and fulfilled. They’ll spend less energy on repetitive tasks and more energy on building the human connections that no technology can replicate. In that way, AI becomes a tool for freedom. Freedom to enjoy the parts of our work that give us purpose. Freedom to create stronger relationships in business and life. Freedom to live happier, more balanced lives while still delivering better results for our clients= win-win.

For credit unions and community lenders, institutions built on relationships, the opportunity is even greater. By embracing AI responsibly, they can provide faster, smoother service while still holding onto the trust and empathy their members value most. AI should never be a wall between people; it should be a bridge that makes relationships stronger.

The future of banking and mortgages will not be about man versus machine. It will be about man and machine, working side by side. Those who adopt AI will see it not as a competitor, but as a collaborator. One that makes us sharper, faster, and better at doing the things only humans can do: connect, understand, and care.

AI is here to stay. The choice we face is whether to resist it or make it work for us. I believe that if we choose the latter, we unlock a future of greater productivity, stronger relationships, and more joy at work and at home.

That’s not just the promise of AI in banking. That’s the promise of banking itself: empowering people to achieve their dreams, supported by tools that make the journey smoother. AI is simply the next evolution in making that possible.

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Aleyna Groves is the COO of Groves Capital, a national mortgage brokerage with hundreds of brokers across the country, and the CEO of Groves IQ, a fintech company pioneering AI-powered solutions for the mortgage industry. With over 20 years of experience in retail and wholesale mortgage banking, she created Groves IQ to help lenders, brokers, and credit unions streamline the loan process. Her vision is simple: use AI to handle the repetitive work so professionals can focus on what truly matters-relationships, trust, and service.