Bloomberg tests an AI chat tool for the Bloomberg Terminal

In short: Bloomberg is testing a chatbot-style feature called ASKB inside the Bloomberg Terminal to help users search and summarize its data using plain language.

What happened

Bloomberg is piloting a new interface for the Bloomberg Terminal, the well-known platform used by many finance professionals to track markets and research companies. The tool is called ASKB (pronounced “ask-bee”), and it lets people type questions in everyday language, instead of using the Terminal’s traditional commands and screens.

Bloomberg’s CTO, Shawn Edwards, told WIRED the change is driven by the Terminal’s growing mountain of information. The Terminal now includes not just prices and earnings, but also things like weather forecasts, shipping records, factory locations, and consumer spending patterns. Edwards said finding the right detail can take too long, and people can miss important signals.

ASKB is built on multiple “language models” (AI systems trained on lots of text, like very advanced autocomplete). Bloomberg says it is also working on ways to reduce “hallucinations,” which is when an AI tool states something that is not true. Edwards said Bloomberg uses checks to confirm that summaries match the underlying text and that citations line up with sources.

Bloomberg says the ASKB beta is available to about one third of the Terminal’s roughly 375,000 users. The company has not shared a date for a full rollout. Edwards said ASKB is intended to become the main way most people use the Terminal, while still keeping traditional screens and mouse-based tools.

Why it matters

For many jobs, faster research can change how work is done. Think of it like replacing a thick instruction manual and hundreds of menus with a search bar that you can talk to. But in finance, mistakes are costly, so how reliable these AI answers are, and how clearly they point back to original sources, will matter as Bloomberg expands access.

Source: Wired