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AI chatbots won't revolutionize finance, but intelligent workspaces will

· 3 min read

Why the future of financial analysis isn't about chatbots, but about intelligent workspaces that combine your data, tools, and AI exactly when you need them.

When ChatGPT launched, everyone rushed to build financial chatbots. But they missed two fundamental truths:

  • The best AI model is useless without access to your data.
  • Access to data isn't enough - AI needs to handle complete workflows, not just conversations.

The limitations of most financial chatbots:

  1. They only work on a specific dataset (e.g 10-K/10-Q)
  2. They can't handle complex financial workflows
  3. They force analysts to work in an unnatural chat interface

Here's how OpenBB addresses these challenges:

First, we ensure comprehensive data access:

  • Run everything on-premise or in your VPC
  • Connect any data source: internal files, APIs, third-party feeds, market data - anything
  • Use a universal data layer that standardizes everything (whether it's CSV, Excel, Snowflake, or APIs)

But the real innovation?

We're building AI differently.

Instead of forcing analysts to chat with a bot, we're embedding intelligence directly into their workspace.

Think dashboards with widgets, not chat windows. Data visualization, not text conversations.

This is exactly what Kimberly Tan (partner @ a16z) predicted in her analysis:

"Chat was the first experimental interface — now I expect there will be new, novel interaction mechanisms. In this phase, AI agents will be able to take direct action in the workflow, and the UI will be reimagined for humans to review work or do QA."


The result?

A workspace where:

  • AI appears only when needed (for insights, summaries, or generating visualizations)
  • Firms can adopt AI at their own pace
  • Analysts keep their familiar workflows while gaining AI superpowers

Let me show you this in action.

Last week, I shared how Matt from VanEck built a powerful dashboard integrating multiple distinct data sources on OpenBB. Post with comments can be found here.

I only showed a screenshot of this dashboard with data.

There was no sign of AI in it.

However, if I had simply pressed shortcut "Ctrl+L", the copilot window would have opened and I would have been able to natively interact with the data - and generate new data from it.

This demonstrates that the future of financial AI isn't about chatbots - it's about intelligent workspaces.

As Jason from PyQuantNews astutely observes: "OpenBB solves the data aggregation and centralization challenge without relying on AI, creating a ton of value from it. And then, you allow users to utilize AI in their workflows as they see fit."

This isn't just another AI product.

It's the future of financial analysis - where AI enhances your workspace instead of replacing it.