The Last Mile Problem
The item can be made anywhere in the world, shipped across the globe, handled in the destination country, all with great accuracy and precision.
The product then needs to be sent to your home, and this is where ‘The Last Mile’ problem comes in.
The human delivery driver tries to deliver when you may or may not be at home, and even if you are, you may or may not open the door. Global logistics is a wonder, but the last mile is a mess.
This is why logistics companies want us to use postage/delivery boxes, a local place where items can be delivered 24 hours a day, in some ways solving the problem. You can also collect the items 24 hours a day, if they’re not inside a supermarket with closing hours.
I think we currently have a 'last mile' problem with AI. I use AI every day, across multiple systems. I’m a big fan of new tech, saving me time and creating better outputs. Some things it absolutely nails, some basic things it struggles with.
I was recently working on a new name badge for HUM London 2026. I had last year's badge, a new background image, and the logos I wanted to use. Surely this would be an easy AI task? No, for some reason it wouldn’t get it right, and I then had to hand it over to my human graphic designer.
We recently spoke on TRAP (The Real Adviser Podcast) about us as financial advisers receiving AI-slop Grenades from prospects and clients. We have a new overlord to add to our list: a supercomputer that will provide its interpretation of a client's situation, and most importantly, what the client should be asking us. Some clients will cut and paste and throw a slop grenade straight into your inbox, others will use it as a guide to frame the discussion with us. Naturally, we like the latter more than the former.
No one is immune to this new overlord checking our work. How we react to and manage this new overlord is the ongoing question and challenge. The collective wisdom of these systems maybe bang or completely off, it’s for us to judge. All professionals in every realm will receive these inbound, perfectly written, deep research queries and maybe an endless list of questions we’re meant to answer.
‘Technology is the commonization of miracles’ – Nick Murray
If used incorrectly, this miracle will be hell for many of us. I think most AI systems will lead clients toward 'Full-Fat Financial Planning', shine a light on good practices, and highlight shady work. It will promote cash flow planning, highlight sound investing, and hopefully be strong on how human behaviour is a big factor in your financial success.
We’re in the thick of it right now.
Have we reached peak 'AI Slop', or are we still wading through the early stages? Interestingly, LinkedIn has added a new feature that lets you flag posts as ‘Seems like AI Slop’. I have been quite active with this feature!
So, let’s keep doing our noble work, saving clients from themselves. They now have a supercomputer to turbocharge misbehaviour, but there will be lots of benefits also.
It’ll boil down to saying to clients, ‘We help people achieve and maintain financial independence through working a financial life plan’. Is this a service you want, or are you happy going it alone?
We can’t save every client, but there will be more than enough families who value what we do and want help with the most challenging financial transition: retirement.
Stay human 😀
