How Yuhlia brings AI to your finances in the Yuh app

Artificial intelligence is already changing how people work, learn, and get things done on a daily basis. Money management is next in line, and for good reason: people don’t want a theory lesson; they want a straightforward answer about their own account.
 

This is exactly what is driving the current wave of interest in AI personal finance. We talked to Simon Pelletier, Yuh’s Head of Product, about Yuhlia, the AI assistant built into the Yuh app, and the genuine benefits that AI can offer to your everyday finances, beyond the hype.

Short answer: yes, and not just in theory. Modern AI is already adept at the unglamorous tasks that used to require a spreadsheet and a free Sunday afternoon, such as sorting transactions, identifying spending patterns, highlighting potential savings and translating financial information into plain language.
 
This is precisely why ‘AI personal finance’ and ‘AI budgeting’ are among the most popular search terms in banking right now. People aren’t looking for a robot to replace their bank; they’re looking for a faster, less intimidating way to answer questions such as ‘Where did my money go?’ or ‘Could I be saving more?’ A good personal finance app doesn’t just store your money; it helps you make sense of it.
 
«People don’t realise how powerful AI can be in helping you build healthier financial habits», says Simon. AI doesn’t replace financial knowledge; it makes it more accessible. You don’t need to understand banking terminology such as ‘recurring expense trend’; you just need to ask the question. This is the fundamental change, and it’s the same change that shaped how Yuh developed Yuhlia.

The idea started with a simple problem: most people don’t actually know where their money goes. «The objective was to provide each of our clients with a personal financial assistant available directly in their pocket», explains Simon. «Spending habits, saving opportunities, financial behaviour: we wanted to give our clients real insights into the way their money works.»
 
The result is Yuhlia who is available 24/7 to answer questions about your account, your spending or your investments. As Simon puts it, «Yuhlia is a personal banker that can be summoned at will.»

A fair question, given that general AI tools are everywhere now. The difference comes down to context. ChatGPT is smart, but it doesn’t know anything about your finances unless you provide it with all the necessary details every time.
 
«Yuhlia lives directly within your Yuh account», Simon explains. «It has access to the real data behind your money.» You don’t need to export a statement or copy and paste transactions into a chat window, Yuhlia already has what it needs.

This is where it gets useful. Try asking Yuhlia things like:
 

• How much did I spend on restaurants this month?
• How much dividend income do I have this year?
• Where could I save money?
• What are my biggest recurring expenses?
• What subscriptions am I paying for?
• Which spending category has increased the most?
• Could I invest more every month?
• Show me where inflation is affecting my budget

You don’t need a manual to use it either. «The beauty of LLMs is that they allow you to have a very natural discussion with them», Simon says. «Just ask the question as you would to any human, and Yuhlia will answer.»
 
If you only ever ask it one thing, make it this: Get Yuhlia to analyse your last six months of spending and highlight areas where you could save or invest more. It’s a simple question, but the answer can be a real eye-opener once you see how much went on things you could easily do without, and what you could have achieved with that money instead.

Here’s the part that matters more than any single insight: habits beat perfection. «Financial wealth comes first and foremost from small changes and habits that you build over time», according to Simon. A single insight is useful, but the real value lies in the small, repeatable steps that quietly add up over time.
 
There’s also a bigger point underneath that which Simon feels strongly about: People underestimate what this actually replaces. «AI will empower you with professional-grade insights, so you won’t need to rely on expensive, overpaid counsellors», he adds. In other words, this isn’t just a nice-to-have layer on top of your account, it’s the kind of financial wellness support that used to come with a hefty invoice attached. This is the difference between feeling informed for five minutes and genuinely changing how you handle money.

It’s a fair question to raise if you’re new to any of this: does AI even belong in personal finance? Simon’s take is refreshingly low-pressure. «AI will slowly make its way to every corner of our lives, including our financial lives», he says. «You can then decide whether you want to use it or not. At Yuh, AI is there to support you, but only if you need it.»
 
Nobody’s forcing anyone to have a conversation with a chatbot about their salary.
Yuhlia itself is currently in beta, which means it’s being actively shaped by feedback from the people using it. «We know that trust can only come from reliability and consistency», according to Simon, «and that’s why we use the initial feedback to evolve Yuhlia and make it as useful as possible.»
 
As for who’s in control, it’s you. «Our clients stay in the driver’s seat», Simon explains, comparing Yuhlia to a GPS. It helps you find the best route, but it doesn’t grab the wheel.

AI can’t predict markets, guarantee returns, or make decisions for you. Anyone claiming otherwise isn’t being honest. Where AI is actually useful is in the everyday stuff: surfacing patterns in your spending, explaining your numbers in plain language and supporting the decisions you’re already trying to make.

Building an AI assistant for finance has taught Simon a lot. «Practice makes perfect», he says. «The nature of AI itself is all about continuous improvement and constant evolution: what is true today might well be outdated tomorrow.»
 
This mindset has rubbed off on his own habits too: «It’s definitely changed how I use AI outside of Yuhlia as well. I ask more specific questions now instead of vague ones, and I have a lot more trust in a well-scoped AI tool once it has been given the right data to work with. Building something like this makes you realise that a lot of ‘good AI’ is just ‘AI that knows enough about your situation to be useful’.»
 
As for the future, Simon envisages AI doing more of the heavy lifting automatically while you remain firmly in charge of the goals. «I want Yuhlia to become a powerful trusted advisor», he says, «empowered to make decisions and take actions on my behalf, in strict accordance with my own ambitions.»
 
What excites him most about the road ahead? «Right now, Yuhlia is brilliant at looking back: telling you what happened and why. What excites me is the shift towards looking forward and nudging you towards a goal before you even think to ask about it. I can’t share specifics yet, but the direction is clear: less digging around for answers, more anticipating what you’ll need next.» The roadmap beyond that is still under wraps, but the direction is clear: it’s becoming more personalised and proactive, and is increasingly focused on helping you to achieve your actual goals.