CTO Seever Sulaiman on AI, Machine Learning, and the Virtual Economist | March 17, 2026

In this week's episode of Optimal Insights, Jim Glennon and CTO Seever Sulaiman discuss how Optimal Blue is deploying AI and machine learning across its platform, including a live demonstration of the newly unveiled Virtual Economist, a tool that combines large language model technology with four proprietary machine learning models to answer mortgage and economic questions in plain English.Alex Hebner and James Cahill open with a market update covering oil prices, inflation risk, the ROAD to Housing Act, and Powell's final FOMC meeting. They share their expert opinions and insight into how these factors are shaping the industry and the broader economic landscape.Key PointsThe market update covers rising oil prices from the Iran conflict, inflation risk above 3%, a halved Q4 GDP reading, and the ROAD to Housing Act passing the Senate 89 to 10Optimal Blue's Virtual Economist combines generative AI with four proprietary machine learning models to answer complex mortgage and economic questions in plain EnglishOptimal Blue has deployed more than 12 AI agents into its platform, with a focus on increasing development capacity without reducing headcountHuman oversight remains non-negotiable for AI-assisted code in financial engineering environmentsOptimal Insights Team:Jim Glennon, Senior Vice President of Hedging and Trading OperationsAlex Hebner, Hedge Account ManagerJames Cahill, MSF/MSR Account ManagerSpecial Guest:Seever Sulaiman, Chief Technology Officer, Optimal BlueProduction Team:Executive Producer: Sara HoltzProducer: Matt GilhoolyCommentary included in the podcast shall not be construed as, nor is Optimal Insights providing, any legal, trading, hedging, or financial advice.Mentioned in this episode:Is Your PPE Helping – or Holding You Back?Small delays can become everyday obstacles. If your team relies on workarounds, extra verification steps, or manual processes to keep loans moving, it may be time to rethink your pricing engine. Discover what a modern PPE should deliver – from real-time accuracy and intelligent automation to seamless workflow execution. Learn more today. Explore the Optimal Blue PPE - https://www2.optimalblue.com/optimalblueppe