{"id":40252,"date":"2025-11-27T14:35:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T14:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/uk\/blog\/how-can-your-business-use-ai-to-future-proof-you-in-2026\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T17:00:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T17:00:53","slug":"how-can-your-business-use-ai-to-future-proof-you-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/blog\/how-can-your-business-use-ai-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"How can your business use AI to future-proof you in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>We\u2019ve been using AI to make Swoop better &#8211; and here are the three biggest lessons we\u2019ve learned that YOU can put to use NOW<\/strong>.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For years, AI was all promise and no delivery. Smart automation was prohibitively expensive and not all that smart. But in 2025, that really changed. We saw AI move from theoretical hype into the essential, operational backbone of financial services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Swoop was an early adopter of AI, as we saw the potential to speed up and improve what we were offering to our customers. As with any new technology, mistakes were made, but valuable lessons were learned and these are what I want to share with you. As SMB owners and founders, we look ahead to 2026, and how to integrate AI into our core workflows. Right now is a great time to use this technology to drive speed, scale, and competitive advantage in your own business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-spacer stk-block-spacer stk--no-padding stk-block stk-0dcefca\" data-block-id=\"0dcefca\"><style>.stk-0dcefca{height:20px !important}<\/style><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2025: The year AI became operational<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest shift I\u2019ve witnessed isn&#8217;t just that AI works, but how fast it\u2019s being deployed by the agile players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>My belief is that the next 12\u201318 months will be less about shiny demos and more about real deployment<\/strong>. At Swoop, we&#8217;re seeing AI compress what used to be multi-step funding journeys, which involved reading a business\u2019s financials, interpreting documents, and surfacing eligible funding, into one conversation that takes seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was genuinely surprised by two things this past year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Speed of disruption:<\/strong> <strong>Smaller fintechs have been quick to embrace AI infrastructure ahead of the big incumbents<\/strong>. Lenders like Triver and Lenkie are now pulling cash-flow data, scoring in real time, and funding within hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Accessibility:<\/strong> <strong>What used to take a data-science team six months can now be done with an API and a weekend.<\/strong> This low barrier to entry means every SMB, regardless of size, can implement powerful tools. AI is becoming native financial infrastructure, embedded directly into platforms like Sage and Xero.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Taken together, SMBs should feel optimistic about using the technology because our size gives us an agility that the legacy players envy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-spacer stk-block-spacer stk--no-padding stk-block stk-b322b0e\" data-block-id=\"b322b0e\"><style>.stk-b322b0e{height:20px !important}<\/style><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Swoop AI playbook: From drafting to decision<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past six to seven months, I\u2019ve been using generative AI (ChatGPT is the best-known but there are others on the market) extensively across our finance, reporting, and advisory workflows. If you\u2019re using these robots as a novelty, think again because in the right hands GenAI can become a core productivity tool. Here\u2019s a look at where we\u2019ve found the biggest gains, and how you can do the same:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Time savings in finance &amp; reporting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest time savings come from turning unstructured inputs (notes, spreadsheets) into structured, ready-to-use outputs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Board Pack Preparation: <\/strong>I cut hours of manual commentary writing by giving my GENAI bot a prompt such as: &#8220;Summarise this management account pack into 5 key takeaways for a board update, highlighting trends in revenue, margins, and cash flow, and draft a paragraph explaining variances month-on-month.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Forecasting and Modelling:<\/strong> I use AI to draft and refine cash-flow forecasts and funding projections, testing different scenarios before I even touch Excel or PowerBI.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Improving client &amp; lender communication<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We use AI to ensure clarity and consistency, especially when dealing with complex financing criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Jargon translation:<\/strong> As accountants and tech geeks, we\u2019re sometimes guilty of speaking a language that our customers struggle to understand. If an explanation gets a bit too dense, I\u2019ll prompt: &#8220;Rewrite this funding product explanation for accountants advising SMBs. Make it conversational, jargon-free, and 150 words.&#8221; This helps us improve clarity for our accounting partners and ensures a consistent tone across all communications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Internal efficiency:<\/strong> We use GenAI to draft internal process documents, eligibility workflows, and convert raw notes into templated due diligence checklists, cutting document prep time by over 50 percent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ultimately, the rate at which LLMs have evolved from static assistants to reasoning engines that can handle real financial logic is what changes the game for fintech<\/strong>. It has moved AI from a simple productivity tool to a potent decision engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-spacer stk-block-spacer stk--no-padding stk-block stk-089693f\" data-block-id=\"089693f\"><style>.stk-089693f{height:20px !important}<\/style><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The 2026 challenge: Turning insight into action<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Looking ahead, the key competitive challenge is connecting the dots so the system moves beyond analysis; it doesn\u2019t just tell you what to do, but actually does it<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone has data. But the company that defines the next wave of fintech is the one that cracks the execution loop at scale. In Swoop\u2019s case, it is where AI can autonomously identify a funding gap, pre-qualify a borrower, assemble documents, and submit to the right lender. For your SMB, this means connecting your data points to actual execution, automating processes end-to-end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-spacer stk-block-spacer stk--no-padding stk-block stk-7a2c5f8\" data-block-id=\"7a2c5f8\"><style>.stk-7a2c5f8{height:20px !important}<\/style><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Three top lessons for responsible AI implementation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To help you start using AI immediately and responsibly, here are my three essential lessons from our experience at Swoop that I believe are straightforward to implement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. AI is a thinking assistant, not a calculator<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lesson:<\/strong> AI is excellent at reasoning, structuring, and explaining. It is <strong>unreliable as a calculator.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Our Policy:<\/strong> <strong>All quantitative work is validated in Excel or PowerBI.<\/strong> We use it to structure and communicate insights, not to replace the analytical rigour of accounting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Establish a zero-tolerance data sensitivity policy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lesson:<\/strong> Data sensitivity is the biggest risk. AI can occasionally &#8220;hallucinate&#8221; or present assumptions as fact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Our Policy:<\/strong> <strong>We never input any confidential financial data directly. All data used is either anonymised, summarised, or synthetic. That\u2019s non-negotiable.<\/strong> Any output that informs a client or investor communication must undergo mandatory human review.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Build a prompt template library<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lesson:<\/strong> Consistency and compliance rely on defined frameworks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Our Policy:<\/strong> We\u2019ve built internal <strong>prompt templates<\/strong> for standard finance tasks (variance analysis, eligibility reports) so staff use consistent, approved language and frameworks. This maintains our tone and ensures AI-generated text doesn&#8217;t diverge from approved financial terminology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In short, our view is that AI augments human expertise. It gives teams leverage but not authority. The responsibility for judgment, accuracy, and client impact stays with the human.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ve been using AI to make Swoop better &#8211; and here are the three biggest lessons we\u2019ve learned that YOU can put to use NOW. For years, AI was all promise and no delivery. Smart automation was prohibitively expensive and not all that smart. But in 2025, that really changed. We saw AI move from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":40254,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","category":[],"class_list":["post-40252","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM.png",1536,1024,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM-300x200.png",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM-768x512.png",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM-1024x683.png",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM.png",1536,1024,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM.png",1536,1024,false],"image_blog":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM-408x252.png",408,252,true],"image_podcast":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM-397x298.png",397,298,true],"image_banking":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM-30x20.png",30,20,true],"image_blog_internal":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM.png",720,480,false],"image_blog_medium":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM.png",750,500,false],"image_single_banking":["https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-27-2025-02_12_25-PM.png",80,53,false]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>We\u2019ve been using AI to make Swoop better &#8211; and here are the three biggest lessons we\u2019ve learned that YOU can put to use NOW. For years, AI was all promise and no delivery. Smart automation was prohibitively expensive and not all that smart. But in 2025, that really changed. We saw AI move from theoretical hype into the essential, operational backbone of financial services. Swoop was an early adopter of AI, as we saw the potential to speed up and improve what we were offering to our customers. As with any new technology, mistakes were made, but valuable lessons&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Uncategorized","author_info_v2":{"name":"Ciaran Burke","url":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/author\/ciaran-burke\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/40252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40252"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/40252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40256,"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/40252\/revisions\/40256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swoopfunding.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=40252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}