“AI right now is in a weird spot, because people are like, ‘If I don’t use it, am I being left behind?’” Brandao told Mortgage Professional America. “But then there are people who are selling them things that really aren’t good. They’re spending money on what they think they need, and they don’t really need it. It’s not really applicable to their business.”
The shiny ball
Brandao advises her clients to really dig into any new technology they get offered and try to figure out whether they really need it. Is it something that will make their job easier, and are they signing up for something that might lock them into a long-term contract?
“Whether it’s AI or whether it’s technology as a whole, I noticed so many people right now that are getting stuck with this,” she said. “If I don’t jump on this bandwagon, I’m going to be left behind. They have to be careful of the shiny ball. The shiny ball is an easy distraction, and it’s a very quick way to be strapped into contracts that maybe you don’t need. You could be lean and structured without having to do that.”
Melissa Rifai’s journey from retail banking to launching her own brokerage is a masterclass in facing fears and finding freedom. After 15 years in retail, she made the leap thanks to advice from Julie Yarbrough and the energy of AIME’s Fuse event.https://t.co/mABNIf5WO7
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) September 25, 2025
As Brandao prepares to speak at AIME Fuse next month in Nashville, she said it’s the industry’s ability to share information about the latest technology that she values about both the organization and the event. She said it is critical in an industry that sometimes sees limited sharing of knowledge.
“The thing I love about AIME, and I love about AIME Fuse, is people coming together to actually share what people are doing,” Brandao said. “I’ve noticed that I’m not seeing as much sharing as I used to see. I encourage people to recognize that there are great gold nuggets in simply listening and understanding what others are doing, because sometimes there’s a blind spot. You’re missing when you don’t see what other people are doing right now.”
