By Jake Tyler
Educating members about new products has always been part of a credit union’s value, but financial literacy in the cooperative movement has a deeper purpose. It’s not just about promoting offerings — it’s about empowering members to make confident, informed decisions that strengthen their financial futures.
This directly supports the credit union mission of improving financial well-being for all, reducing default risk and reinforcing trust.
Today’s members — especially younger and more diverse segments — expect personalized guidance, available in their language, on their schedule and in the channel they prefer. Artificial intelligence (AI), thoughtfully deployed, offers credit unions new tools to meet these expectations without sacrificing the human-centered service that defines the movement.
While many credit unions remain cautious about AI adoption, recent advancements are making it more practical, affordable and aligned with member-first values. The key is to use AI not as a replacement for relationships, but as an extension of them — creating more time and space for high-impact conversations.
Below are three real-world ways credit unions can apply AI to expand financial education and strengthen member relationships today.
1: Eliminating Communication Barriers With AI-Powered Virtual Assistants
In communities where English isn’t the primary language, communication can be one of the biggest barriers to financial literacy and inclusion. Hiring multilingual staff is important, but for smaller credit unions, call volumes and budget realities can make scaling that support difficult.
AI-powered virtual assistants (VAs) now offer multilingual capabilities that can handle routine requests and answer basic financial education questions in members’ preferred languages — 24/7, 365 days a year. These might range from “How do I improve my credit score?” to “What’s the best way to budget for a home purchase?” or “How does my credit union’s savings program work?”
By automating these initial conversations, credit unions free human bilingual staff to focus on more complex issues where empathy, judgment and relationship-building matter most. At the same time, members receive consistent, accurate answers and resources in a language they understand. This approach not only reduces friction but also fulfills the cooperative commitment to inclusivity and access.
2: Preserving Context Across Member Interactions
Few experiences frustrate members more than having to repeat themselves when switching service channels or talking to multiple representatives. In credit union settings, this friction can derail otherwise valuable educational moments.
With a unified AI architecture, every interaction — whether in a digital chat, phone call or video session — is tracked and summarized in real time. If a member begins a conversation in chat with a virtual assistant, then moves to a call with a loan officer, that officer can instantly see a concise history of the member’s questions and concerns.
This “channel-less” experience saves members from re-explaining their situation and allows staff to focus on meaningful guidance. More importantly, it turns service moments into opportunities for education.
When context is preserved, staff can move directly to sharing solutions, resources or programs tailored to the member’s needs — reinforcing trust and positioning the credit union as a true financial partner.
3. Using Member Insights to Drive Programs and Products
Credit unions have always had a deep understanding of their communities — but AI can make those insights more specific, timely and actionable.
Modern AI tools can analyze thousands of member interactions to uncover common questions, challenges or educational gaps. For example, analysis might reveal a surge in inquiries about first-time homebuying, debt consolidation or small business financing. These insights can be shared with marketing teams, financial educators or product developers to create targeted workshops, content or service offerings.
Because the technology can now deliver this information in conversational form — “What are the top five financial topics members have asked about this month?” — it’s easier for staff at every level to make data-informed decisions. This empowers credit unions to design financial literacy initiatives that directly match member needs, strengthening engagement and delivering measurable community impact.
AI as a Cooperative Advantage
Credit unions are uniquely positioned to use AI as a tool for inclusion, not exclusion. The cooperative model — built on transparency, trust and community service — offers a framework for adopting AI responsibly.
This means:
- Choosing vendors that meet NCUA compliance and data security standards
- Being transparent with members about how and why AI is being used and where the data is going
- Training staff to use AI as a complement to, not a replacement for, personalized service
When implemented with care, AI can help credit unions remove barriers to financial education, reach underserved populations and engage members in ways that reflect both their preferences and their values. The future of financial literacy in the credit union space is not just about delivering information — it’s about delivering it in the right way, at the right moment, to the right member.
By aligning AI adoption with cooperative principles, credit union leaders can modernize operations, deepen member trust and expand their impact — ensuring that every member has the tools and knowledge to thrive financially.
Jake Tyler is the Head of AI Strategy at Glia, the leader in AI-powered interactions for banks and credit unions.
