Meet Mia, the new robot who will help you secure a home loan

UBank, NAB’s digital subsidiary, has launched the world’s first digital home loan application assistant, powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

Mia, which is short for My Interactive Agent, will begin taking customer questions in late February 2019.

The new AI assistant has been built in partnership with FaceMe, a leading provider of AI-powered ‘digital humans’ for customer service.

And the announcement couldn’t have come at a better time following The Royal Commission’s crackdown on Australia’s mortgage broking industry. Is this the new future of the home loan industry?

Tell me about Mia

UBank team member Mia has an in-depth product knowledge and a cheeky personality – even using fun gifs and animations during her chats. Customers will speak directly to Mia via their desktop or mobile device to ask her questions about the home loan application – anything from what’s a variable rate to what classifies as an expense.

Customers will be able to speak to Mia day and night, and she will answer more than 300 of the most common questions customers have about the home loan application journey, so they will have a smarter, more connected experience. Her persona was crafted with the customer in mind – they want to talk to someone smart, empathetic, trustworthy and someone that doesn’t use bank jargon.

Mia will complement UBank’s home loan chatbot, RoboChat, and the Live Chat experience with UBank’s advisors, to help customers apply for a home loan. To begin, Mia will be launched as a pilot to a selection of customers applying for a UBank home loan, with the view of her engaging with every customer who wants help during the application process.

“Our vision is to enable leading companies like UBank to create more meaningful and valuable experiences for their customers. Mia offers an emotionally connected experience for servicing customers making an exciting and important life decision,” FaceMe’s CEO Danny Tomsett said.

Make your money work with Yahoo Finance’s daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news.

Now read: Labor’s negative gearing plans will lead to spike in Chinese investors

Now read: Is your job at risk from an economic downturn?

Now read: Shares vs property: which’ll make you the most money?