Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG), the only UK membership organisation with a reach across the whole debt landscape, has secured funding from Money & Pensions Service for a new research initiative exploring what safeguards are needed to ensure Generative AI is used safely for debt advice.
The research project, entitled ‘Exploring Safe & Effective Self‑Serve in Regulated Debt Advice in the Generative AI Era’, is being delivered in partnership with AI innovation company Wyser, whose founder and CEO Mark Pearce spoke on the AI panel at the MALG Conference 2025.
MALG and Wyser are inviting professionals from across the debt advice ecosystem to take part in one‑to‑one interviews in January and February 2026, that will shape the future of digital advice delivery.
The rapid rise of Generative AI tools, such as chatbots, means that people seeking help with debt are increasingly turning to unregulated digital sources. While these tools offer potential benefits around accessibility, convenience and early engagement, they also raise important questions about safety, trust, suitability and the risk of consumer harm.
MALG CEO Bob Winnington, said:
“The debt advice sector can’t afford to ignore the pace at which clients are already experimenting with AI tools for financial support. We need evidence, not assumptions, to understand where AI can genuinely help, where it poses risks, and how it can work alongside human advisers rather than replace them.”
The study will examine opportunities, limitations and risks of AI‑enabled self‑serve debt advice tools; how consumers behave when interacting with them; how advisers, managers and quality leads assess the risks; where expectations of AI diverge from the realities of delivering advice; and the conditions under which AI‑enabled self‑serve can be used safely.
Mark Pearce, Founder and CEO of Wyser, added:
“This is exploratory, foundational work. It will not evaluate or endorse any specific AI product, nor will it replace regulated human advice. Instead, it aims to build a robust evidence base to inform future policy, funding and digital strategy across the sector.”
Findings will feed into a suite of practical resources designed to support responsible experimentation and innovation in debt advice including an evidence report, a safe-use framework and a pack of reusable guidance and messaging templates for providers.
Find out more, including how to take part in the research, at www.malg.org.uk/genai_debtadvice_research/