Even with smarter-than-ever artificial intelligence, software is still a GIGO proposition.
Welcome to AI & Finance, where we run down another long list of financial services artificial intelligence headlines for you, this time including several companies making their first appearance in this feature.
But first, let’s talk about AI and GIGO. For the unintiated, GIGO is an old technology acronym for “garbage in, garbage out.” It literally means that the quality of a technology’s output—that is, the product that we receive from its work—depends mainly on the quality of the input we give that technology. If the input is “garbage,” meaning incorrect, inaccurate, poorly processed or otherwise sub-standard date, the output is likely to be more of the same kind of garbage.
That brings us to AI and a tricky problem being encountered when developing today’s models: biased data.
Artificial intelligence models are being trained on massive data sets, and publicly deployed models are using data accumulated and made public via the internet. The biggest and, to AI developers, most useful data sets come from the biggest and most heavily used internet sites. Wikipedia, for example, is an online encyclopedia with millions of pages, constantly being written, updated and rewritten, for an AI to ingest and learn from. Reddit, another humongous website, is an online community with millions of users and millions of pages, consisting of user posts, for an AI to read and understand.
We’re not sure how much time our readers have spent digging through the bowels of Reddi and Wikipedia. On the surface, these are very helpful information sources where you can read an encyclopedia entry on almost any topic, or learn from others’ experiences in almost any situation. When we peek under the hood, however, and read Reddit’s discussions following posts, or the WIkipedia editors’ discussions, a problem emerges: bias.
Without pointing fingers and naming names, the people who actively converse on Reddit and who edit Wikipedia are mostly engaged in one-sided discussions with themselves—they are almost always of a single political slant. Furthermore, the introduction of dissenting opinions, whether it’s like-minded people playing devil’s advocate or truly opposed views, are at best discounted and ignored by the majority of the community working on the content on these sites. At worst, opposing opinions are shouted down and ridiculed, chilling any speech that may provide useful counterpoint to the majority. For example, on Reddit, significant proportions of commenters cheer the death of any public figure that voices a political opinion contrary to the majority there—as it means one less liberal or conservative vote.
What it means is that these platforms, which often seem useful for low-level research, are not really trustworthy. Rather than facts and reliable information, Wikipedia, Reddit and the like actually deliver the information that highly motivated and biased people with very specific political, social, religious and cultural opinions want the rest of us to believe—they’re no more or less propaganda sources than the currently fraught traditional media, but for good or for worse, these are the sites human internet users often go to look for answers.
And these are also the communities which are playing a prominent role shaping some of the datasets we’re using to train our AI. Training AI on this kind of data not only raises the old GIGO problem, but reinforces it—by using these sites for training, we’re not only risking the creation of impossibly biased AI models, but ones that will continually hallucinate output favoring one political point of view over all others.
If, at some point, we were to ask AI trained from these data sets about its political views—for example, if we were to ask a large language model-powered chatbot who it would want us to vote for in an upcoming election—could we trust that those models would give us a fair, unbiased opinion based on the facts, or would it be based on the heated rhetoric of Reddit or the softer bias on Wikipedia?
And if we can’t trust AI to see and understand the political bias it is being trained on, how can we trust it with our health, wealth and livelihoods?
Let’s get to your headlines.
1. Algebrik AI
Algebrik AI, a Delaware-incorporated company headquartered in New York City, pioneering the world’s first cloud-native, AI-powered, digital-era Loan Origination System (LOS) built for credit unions, today announced that Family Financial Credit Union, a trusted community institution based in Muskegon, Michigan, has selected Algebrik AI’s complete agentic AI-powered lending origination suite called Algebrik ONE: including its Digital Account Opening, Lender’s Cockpit (LOS), Omnichannel Point-of-Sale (POS), AI Decision Engine, and Portfolio Analytics – to deliver faster, smarter, and radically member-first lending and onboarding experiences across channels.
Designed from the ground up as a modular, cloud-native, AI-powered platform, Algebrik enables personalized workflows that adapt to the needs of both members and lenders. With Agentic AI not just making decisions but also executing them, the platform delivers measurable impact across the lending journey.
Algebrik’s Digital Account Opening module uses a micro-journey architecture that guides applicants through personalized onboarding flows: whether self-serve or assisted. With features like dynamic eligibility, real-time ID verification, modular product bundling, and Core data lookups, the platform delivers a fast, frictionless account opening experience.
2. Amperity
Amperity, the AI-powered customer data cloud, announced M&T Bank has selected its platform to unify customer data across the bank’s operations. This collaboration will enable M&T Bank, a leading full-service financial institution, to build more comprehensive customer profiles and deliver more personalized banking experiences.
The relationship between M&T Bank and Amperity represents a significant advancement in the bank’s customer data capabilities. With Amperity’s platform, M&T Bank can now more effectively consolidate fragmented customer information, streamline data management, and deploy insights across channels. This collaboration enables the bank to gain a more comprehensive understanding of customer needs, preferences and behaviors, ultimately leading to enhanced customer experiences across all touchpoints.
3. Applied Data Finance
Applied Data Finance (ADF), a fintech innovator dedicated to expanding fair and responsible credit access for underestimated U.S. consumers through AI-powered underwriting, today announced appointments to its executive and leadership teams, further solidifying its commitment to providing scalable, transparent, and data-driven lending solutions.
Deena Narayanaswamy has nearly two decades of experience in credit risk management and data science, having held senior roles at top fintech and financial services companies. Most recently, he served as Head of Credit at OnePay (formerly One) and previously held senior credit and data roles at Climb Credit, OppFi, Avant and FICO. Deena has also played critical roles in shaping predictive modeling and fraud prevention strategies in the fintech sector. He holds a Master of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Minnesota and has completed executive education at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Vijay Ravichandran brings ADF a wealth of experience from his time at leading fintech and financial services companies. Most recently, he was the Head of Decision Science at OnePay (formerly One), where he was part of the founding team for their India operations. Previously, he worked at Paytm and TransUnion where he led data science initiatives focused on credit risk and fraud prevention. He holds a Master of Science in Machine Learning and Data Science from Northwestern University.
4. Broadridge
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader, today announced a new strategic partnership and minority investment in Uptiq, an AI platform for financial services. Integrating Uptiq’s technology into Broadridge’s Wealth Lending Network (WLN) provides financial advisors and banks access to turnkey, agentic AI applications that automate securities-based lending (SBL) workflows, deliver detailed insights, and enhance outcomes for clients.
The Broadridge Wealth Lending Network is a digital platform that connects wealth managers, financial advisors, and their clients with a network of lenders that extend securities-based lines of credit. It streamlines the process of accessing SBL solutions, particularly for financial advisors and wealth management firms that are not affiliated with banks. Through the integration with Uptiq, financial advisors can more easily source and compare loan options tailored to their clients’ needs, while automating manual tasks such as referral submission, loan processing, and covenant tracking. The combined solution expands financial advisors’ access to credit solutions for their clients, improves client service, strengthens compliance, and reduces the typical friction and complexity in providing lending solutions to wealth clients.
Broadridge’s investment supports Uptiq’s growth and reinforces a shared vision for transforming wealth lending. By harnessing AI to simplify complex lending processes and deliver smarter, more scalable solutions, Broadridge and Uptiq are helping financial institutions adapt, grow, and drive better outcomes across the financial ecosystem.
5. Convr AI
Convr AI®, the leading modularized artificial intelligence (AI) underwriting, data, and intelligent document automation workbench serving commercial insurance organizations, is enabling Public Employer Risk Management Assocation, Inc. (PERMA) with its Intake AI module.
PERMA is the trusted source to more than 800 public entities across New York State for strategic workers’ compensation coverage plans as well as proactive and comprehensive workplace solutions. The group is now relying on Convr to digitize and standardize loss runs – a move that eliminates the need for manual entry, improving the quality of work and saving the association time while increasing efficiency and profitability.
6. FiscalNote
FiscalNote (NYSE: NOTE), a leading AI-driven policy and regulatory intelligence company, today announced the launch of a new social media listening capability in PolicyNote, its next-generation flagship platform. This latest innovation empowers users to detect early signals of policy and legislative change by monitoring real-time posts and discussions from federal and state lawmakers and executives, providing a strategic edge in today’s fast-moving legislative landscape.
For policy professionals, identifying when lawmakers first begin to signal policy intent, especially across disparate social media platforms, has long been time-consuming, fragmented, and expensive. PolicyNote’s new social listening feature addresses that challenge head-on, surfacing key mentions and sentiment from X (formerly Twitter), Truth Social, and Bluesky — as well as CQ News, FiscalNote’s proprietary, trusted editorial arm covering Congress — and integrating them seamlessly into users’ existing policy workflows.
PolicyNote’s social listening feature enables users to receive timely alerts when policymakers discuss issues relevant to their organization, allowing for faster, more informed decisions. With one click, the AI assistant personalizes settings to suit the organization’s needs. It understands priorities to make smart recommendations to enable users to track mentions of their organization, key figures, products, assets, and even competitors. Accessing these insights has never been faster or easier for customers.
7. Guidehouse
Guidehouse, a global AI-led professional services firm, has been officially recognized as a MISMO® Certified Consultant — a designation earned by only five firms nationwide. Guidehouse is the first and only company in its peer group to earn this certification, underscoring its deep expertise in mortgage data standards and its commitment to accelerating innovation across the housing finance ecosystem.
MISMO® (Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization) is the premier standards development body for the mortgage industry, driving efficiency, transparency, and interoperability across the housing life cycle. Its data and technology standards are widely adopted by lenders, servicers, government agencies, and GSEs.
Guidehouse is the largest firm in the U.S. to hold this consulting certification, which validates operational excellence and deep domain knowledge in implementing MISMO standards across the residential mortgage market.
8. Guidewire
Guidewire (NYSE: GWRE) announces Niseko, its latest release, designed to give insurers unprecedented insight into financial performance and risk exposure. Niseko empowers developers with tools that streamline updates to custom software extensions, automate and reuse core business functions to speed development, and enhance operational efficiency through intelligent automation. Niseko delivers new offerings and functionality designed to help insurers.
Gain faster financial and business insights with Policy Insurance Data Model and Claims Insurance Data Model. These are auto-generated, dimensional models that simplify access to underlying InsuranceSuite policy and claims data.
Modernize the development process and accelerate business logic implementation with Guidewire Functions. Enabled using a Functions-as-a-Service approach, developers can quickly build modular, reusable business tasks and logic to improve software quality while delivering more reliable and adaptable business solutions.*
9. ImageSource
ImageSource, Inc., developer of the ILINX® intelligent automation platform, today announced the release of a purpose-built Indirect Cost Rate (IDC) Proposal Solution designed specifically to support the unique financial, operational, and regulatory needs of Tribal Nations.
Developed in collaboration with tribal finance and grants management professionals, the ILINX IDC Proposal Solution simplifies and streamlines the process of preparing and submitting indirect cost rate proposals. This allows tribal governments to recover appropriate overhead costs for federal and grant-funded programs—ensuring sustainability, transparency, and sovereignty over fiscal operations.
ImageSource’s IDC Proposal Solution is part of its broader commitment to supporting Tribal Nations through secure, culturally informed, and AI-enabled automation tools. The solution leverages the ILINX® platform’s flexible architecture to meet each Nation’s specific operational and compliance needs.
10. Insurity
Insurity, a leading provider of cloud-based software for insurance carriers, brokers, and MGAs, today announced its continued commitment to the claims space, with new investments in product modernization, user experience, and intelligent automation. Already delivering proven claims results for leading insurers, Insurity is reinforcing its position in the market with a focused roadmap for innovation and a growing ecosystem of AI-powered capabilities.
Insurity currently supports a wide range of commercial and personal lines claims workflows through its robust claims platform. With a strong foundation already in place, Insurity is now accelerating enhancements to its user interface and underlying architecture to better meet the demands of today’s claims organizations, emphasizing speed, configurability, and streamlined user experiences.
Insurity’s claims platform is further strengthened through strategic partnerships with leading AI innovators, including Floatbot.AI and Attestiv. These partnerships bring generative AI for smarter claims triage and inquiry handling, along with blockchain-backed fraud detection that validates digital evidence to reduce costs, streamline workflows, and accelerate resolution.
11. LambdaTest
LambdaTest, a GenAI-native quality engineering platform, has entered a strategic partnership with Lab49, a leading consultancy specializing in strategy, design, and technology for capital markets, to help financial services organizations modernize their software testing and drive digital innovation.
The partnership brings together LambdaTest’s next-generation AI-native test automation capabilities and Lab49’s proven track record of delivering enterprise-grade solutions to the world’s leading financial institutions. Together, they aim to accelerate digital transformation initiatives by enabling faster, smarter, and more resilient software delivery pipelines.
With increasing demand for secure, scalable, and high-performing applications in banking, trading, and asset management, the collaboration between LambdaTest and Lab49 will help institutions embrace intelligent testing strategies. By using AI-driven automation, self-healing test execution, and real-time quality insights, teams can reduce testing cycles and improve time-to-market.
12. Menos AI
Menos AI, an AI-native fintech built by and for investment professionals, today announced its public launch. Its flagship product, Sonαr, is an intelligent research agent that helps hedge funds and institutional investors uncover timely, differentiated ideas amid information overload. Sonαr is currently rolling out to select partner funds ahead of a broader release.
Founded by investment veterans and AI experts, Menos AI is backed by a $5.2 million oversubscribed seed round led by prominent Silicon Valley family offices and venture capital firms.
Portfolio managers and analysts navigate a constant flood of market updates, sell-side content, third-party research reports, and internal memos. Sonαr cuts through the noise and surfaces alpha-generating insights that might otherwise be overlooked. Developed with leading global macro and multi-strategy hedge funds, Sonαr uses proprietary Alpha Signal Extraction to identify ideas with novelty, timeliness, and market relevance. Its forthcoming Voice Scoring capability can spotlight contributors who are consistently early and accurate — amplifying insights backed by proven track records and exposing areas where further due diligence can lead to an edge.
13. MyVest
MyVest, a leading provider of enterprise wealth management technology, today announced a strategic partnership with Alphathena, an innovator in AI-powered direct indexing. The integration of Alphathena’s personalized direct indexing platform with MyVest’s Strategic Portfolio System (SPS) delivers a powerful solution for firms seeking to scale tax-optimized, multi-account portfolios, while maintaining full control over their investment strategies.
This collaboration enables wealth managers to design and implement customized direct indexing strategies that reflect the unique goals and values of each investor. The combined offering makes it easier for firms to transition legacy portfolios in a tax-efficient manner, manage household-level portfolios, and offer white-labeled solutions that preserve the advisor’s brand.
Both companies share a commitment to democratizing access to sophisticated investment strategies. Through this partnership, firms can now bring the benefits of direct indexing, including tax-loss harvesting, values-based investing, and portfolio customization, beyond the high-net-worth segment, making it accessible to mass affluent investors.
14. S&P Global Market Intelligence
S&P Global Market Intelligence, a provider of information services and solutions to global markets, today announced the launch of iLEVEL Document Search, a new AI-powered search capability that enables private market investment professionals to extract intelligence from investment documents using natural language queries. This innovative tool transforms asset managers’ ability to explore and understand the factors that shape portfolio performance, facilitating faster, more informed decisions.
With private equity firms holding record levels of dry powder while existing portfolios remain in a prolonged holding pattern, iLEVEL Document Search addresses the critical need for deeper portfolio intelligence. Users can now query all documents stored in iLEVEL’s Document Library, including board decks, quarterly financials, annual financials and fund financials. The tool leverages advanced AI-driven data extraction technology to democratize data by unlocking previously hidden insights and breaking down information silos.
The launch of iLEVEL Document Search builds on recent enhancements to the platform, including Automated Data Ingestion and Capital Structure Analysis.
15. Scienaptic AI
Leading global AI-powered credit underwriting platform provider Scienaptic AI announced today that CommunityWide Federal Credit Union has implemented its AI-based decisioning platform and is now live. This deployment is significantly streamlining the credit union’s underwriting process, leading to an increase in approval rates and a notable enhancement in the member experience. Importantly, all these advancements have been achieved while ensuring fairness, inclusivity, and compliance with regulatory standards, which are integral to the Scienaptic AI platform.
CommunityWide Federal Credit Union was chartered in 1967 to serve the northwest side of South Bend, Indiana, with the mission to provide financial services to residents of modest means. Supported by seed deposits from the Model Cities program, the Catholic Church, and other organizations, the credit union aims to improve the lives of its member community. Over the decades, CommunityWide has grown significantly, serving over 71,000 members across Indiana. Rooted in a commitment to financial empowerment, the credit union continues to innovate and expand its services, ensuring accessible, member-focused solutions that promote long-term financial health and stability.
16. Slice Insurance
Slice Insurance (Slice) has continued to build on its AI-first foundation with the expansion of a proprietary suite of secure, intelligent tools designed to transform how agents, brokers, and underwriters navigate complex commercial risks. Since the launch of Slice Mind in 2019, AI has always been at the core of Slice’s platform—and that vision is now fueling a faster, smarter submission experience across both small business and mid-market E&S. Originally launched as an MVP for Contractors General Liability, Slice’s mid-market offering has rapidly grown to include Real Estate, Retail, Hospitality, and Manufacturing risks, with recent additions such as Environmental and Excess lines further expanding its reach. With large language model (LLM) capabilities now embedded throughout the platform, agents and brokers benefit from intelligent automation, real-time insights, and a dramatically more intuitive quoting and referral process.
Slice’s proprietary AI stack is designed specifically for insurance. Unlike third-party, off-the-shelf tools, all models are hosted on the same dedicated, scalable, and private cloud infrastructure as the current platform. The system is already streamlining thousands of submissions for contractors general liability and mid-market risks.
Data privacy is a core pillar of Slice’s AI strategy. All large language models are isolated from third-party ecosystems. This closed-loop approach ensures carrier confidence while enabling dynamic, high-speed experiences for agents.
17. Vestmark
Vestmark, Inc., a leading provider of wealth management software and services, announced today a strategic relationship with Fidelity Investments to provide eligible advisors of RIAs and broker-dealers access to an open-architecture custom model portfolio platform.
The Vestmark platform will enable eligible RIAs and broker-dealers to access open-architecture, custom model portfolios that can include semi-liquid interval funds, SMAs, ETFs, and mutual funds, within a single portfolio and custodial account. The Vestmark platform will be offered through Fidelity at no cost to certain participating firms.1
Vestmark delivers intelligent tax and overlay management across the entire unified managed account (UMA), optimizing and rebalancing across both public and private holdings. Advisors can direct personalized capital gains budgets and seamlessly transition accounts with embedded gains, bringing sophisticated, integrated tax management to a broader range of clients.
18. Vise
Vise, the AI-powered technology platform that delivers personalized portfolios at scale, today announced the launch of fully customizable options overlay strategies. This new capability expands Vise’s existing direct indexing offering, enabling advisors to deliver outcome-based investing through a single, seamlessly integrated account.
In an environment where clients increasingly demand more control, clarity, and confidence in their portfolios, Vise’s options overlays are designed to bring greater predictability to investment outcomes. These strategies allow advisors to define precise parameters around protection levels, income generation, and risk tolerance—providing clients with a transparent view of potential portfolio performance across various market conditions.
Unlike ETF-based options strategies that require portfolio rebalancing or liquidation—often triggering tax consequences—Vise overlays integrate directly with existing holdings, enabling advisors to layer in downside protection or income strategies without disrupting core allocations.
19. Zap Consulting
Zap Consulting, a national leader in intelligent claims assessment, today announced record-setting growth fueled by a wave of new insurance carrier partnerships and rapid adoption of its proprietary AI platform, Zap-Scan. As insurers seek faster, smarter ways to validate HVAC, electronics, and equipment claims, Zap has become the trusted partner for modernizing the property damage assessment process.
Zap-Scan, the first AI tool purpose-built for HVAC data extraction and analysis, enables adjusters to generate instant insights from images of HVAC data tags. Carriers are leveraging the tool to streamline both field and virtual inspections, replacing guesswork with fast, accurate, data-backed decisions. The platform has quickly gained traction for its intuitive design and measurable impact on claim cycle times.
In parallel with the surge in platform usage, Zap is expanding its role across the claim lifecycle. The company offers expert-driven assessments for HVAC systems, electronics, appliances, and complex commercial equipment, giving insurers access to reliable, third-party evaluations that improve accuracy, reduce delays, and elevate the policyholder experience.
