While most mortgage lenders are experimenting with AI tools and chatbots, only a small percentage truly understand what it takes to build and deploy decision-grade artificial intelligence. In this episode, David Lykken sits down with Pavan Agarwal and Jennifer Vallinayagam to unpack the difference between surface-level AI and industrial-strength decision intelligence. From disciplined engineering practices to proprietary rule engines and parallel loan processing, they reveal why most lenders attempting to “build their own AI” are underestimating the complexity—and why the 2–3% who go deep will gain an overwhelming competitive advantage. This is not about chatbots. It’s about execution, scale, and the future of mortgage manufacturing.
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Pavan Agarwal is a renowned leader in the mortgage lending industry and a pioneer in bringing artificial intelligence to the financial markets. Agarwal serves as the President and CEO of Sun West Mortgage Company and Celligence International, LLC.