This is a milestone episode of Mortgage Tech Talks.

In this special 100th episode—and final episode of the year—I’m breaking down the best-performing Mortgage Tech Talks content of 2025 across podcasts, YouTube, Shorts, and Instagram.

Instead of just replaying clips, this episode looks at what actually worked, why it worked, and what it says about where mortgage tech and AI are heading. We dig into the biggest themes from the year: AI as a tool (not a shortcut), platform-specific content performance, tech adoption, and the irreplaceable role of human trust.

If you’re a mortgage broker, fintech professional, or just interested in how technology is reshaping the industry, this episode ties it all together.

Thanks for being part of the journey to 100 episodes.

00:00 – Episode 100 milestone + why this is a “Best Of” recap 02:00 – Top podcast episode of the year: using ChatGPT as a thought partner 05:45 – Best-performing YouTube video & lessons from the Mortgage Conference 09:50 – Why short-form content performed best (Instagram & Reels) 12:15 – AI broker assistants, where they help—and where humans still win

In this episode, Tom Hall breaks down the hidden competition between major AI companies that most people don't see. Discover why programming has become the dominant use case for AI models—accounting for 50% of all API usage—and why Anthropic (Claude) is quietly dominating with 60% of this massive market.

• Token usage has grown 14x in the past year
• Programming went from 11% to 50% of all ChatGPT/Gemini usage in just 6 months
• Anthropic controls 30% of the entire AI market through programming dominance
• Google, OpenAI, and other competitors are playing catch-up

• 0:00 - Opening statement
• 0:28 - Introduction
• 1:38 - The problem: What's driving AI growth?
• 1:55 - How AI companies make money (subscriptions vs. API)
• 2:46 - Understanding tokens and APIs
• 4:19 - Shocking token usage data (500B → 7T)
• 5:29 - Analyzing prompt vs. completion growth
• 7:31 - Which use cases are driving growth?
• 8:32 - Programming reveals itself as the leader
• 11:38 - 50% of AI usage is programming
• 12:10 - Anthropic's surprising market dominance
• 13:35 - Market share breakdown
• 14:18 - The strategic choice for AI CEOs
• 15:00 - Implications for the next 2-3 years
• 16:11 - Bold predictions
• 17:30 - Closing

What if the biggest threat to mortgage brokers over the next decade isn’t AI replacing your job — but something far more subtle?

In this episode of Mortgage Tech Talks, we break down a 4-step scenario that has already played out in other financial industries… and could reshape the mortgage landscape in the next 5–10 years if we’re not careful.

This isn’t fear-mongering. It’s a realistic look at how technology adoption, lender expectations, and regulator pressure could quietly divide the industry into two branches — one that thrives, and one that slowly gets left behind.

You’ll hear:

The two “branches” brokers will fall into as AI becomes standard

Why trust at scale could create a massive performance gap

How lenders and regulators might tighten requirements

What happened in the home & auto insurance industry (and why it matters now)

The one thing brokers can control to prevent the mortgage channel from losing innovation

If you care about the long-term health of this industry — and your place in it — this is a conversation you should hear.

Timestamps

00:00 – Why the future of the broker channel may split into two branches 01:14 – The real risk facing the industry (it’s not job loss) 02:03 – Step 1: The new technology wave begins 03:27 – Step 2: Tech adopters vs. non-adopters 08:48 – Step 3: How lenders & regulators might elevate one branch 13:18 – Step 4: What happens if non-adopters fall behind 17:36 – The insurance industry example — and the warning it gives us 19:00 – The silver lining and how brokers can protect innovation