There is much good and bad talk about using AI for lead generation. It is shiny and new, but as I hope most realize, it is in the crosshairs of state regulators. In the coming years, like next year in Colorado, you better be careful about just flipping on some new tool that uses AI without understanding your compliance responsibilities. I am focusing on decisions that may affect consumers getting help with insurance, housing, banking, etc. The responsibility is not just on the AI service creator but also on the user of that service. Very important. AI in outbound messaging and calls are also already regulated. Those are complex subjects; today, we are going with a simple subject. I am going old school here and talking about creating an online calculator using AI instead of the traditional way of hiring a developer, buying a script online or trying to do it yourself. AI is excellent at simple programming tasks. This is a non-technical solution, copying and pasting from the AI tool to the web host's file manager.
I bought a random domain for this exercise called carloanswebsite.com. I did some simple SEO keyword research and found some people searching for the phrase "20/3/8 car loan", as apparently 20/3/8 is a methodology for figuring out whether a car is safely affordable. I found the definition here https://moneyguy.com/article/20-3-8-rule/ and decided to make my own calculator for it. I tried the following flow in DeepSeek, ChatGPT, Claude.ai and Google's Gemini. In this case (not all), DeepSeek ended up with the best result.
My first prompt –
I would like to replace all of the content I have on www.carloanswebsite.com. I think a good tool would be an auto loan calculator for people with bad credit. Could you build me a modern looking, one page website that allows the consumer to enter an interest rate and a loan term in months and then will display how much principle and interest they will pay over the life of the loan. Could you build this in HTML and javascript so I can copy/paste it directly from here.
The result was really good but a little simplistic so I added to it simply by following up with this prompt.
Can you also show the full amortization table so the consumer can see month by month how much interest and principle they are paying along with what their current loan balance is?
Pretty good addition so I went further.
Please add a column for Date where the first payment date is next month. For example today the first payment date would show 2/1/2025. Please add another column to the amortization table for Payment so they can see what their monthly payment is.
Getting closer, but I wanted to add some more.
Let's change the loan amount field and make it a drop down field going from $10,000 to $100,000 in $5,000 increments. Change the loan term to being a drop down with values of 36 Months, 48 Months, 60 Months, 72 Months and 84 Months. Under total cost of loan add an additional value for Total Amount Paid which is equal to the principle plus the interest.
Each time, DeepSeek spit out the HTML that I needed, I simply copied and pasted it into an index.html page and then tested the calculator. There were some "the server is busy" errors between results, as this was done on DeepSeek's busiest day.
At this point, it was fairly plain and a little ugly. I wanted to make it more of a page instead of a boxy calculator and add in the 20/3/8 concept.
Following the 20/3/8 rule means:
Putting 20% down
Financing for (or paying your car off in) no longer than 3 years
Keeping your total car payment(s) to no more than 8% of gross income
With this 20/3/8 rule in mind, I would like some additions. Let's put the calculator in the middle of the page and put some design around it so it looks more like a full web page. At the top of the web page let's put Calculate your auto loan payment and see if you fall within the 20/3/8 rule. We need to add some fields to the calculator.
Please add Gross Income, Total Car Price, and Down Payment Amount. Let's change loan amount back to a free open field instead of a drop down. After somebody fills out total car price and down payment amount, automatically fill in the Loan Amount field with the calculation of total car price - down payment.
Once the consumer clicks calculate, we can add a few things in the same grey box as total cost of loan. Let's make a section in there for 20/3/8 Rule Results and then have 3 lines with either a green check mark or a red X depending on if they pass the rule. The three lines are. 20% Down Payment (calculate this from inputs and if down payment is greater than or equal to 20% of the total car price, put a green check). 3 Year Loan - put a green checkmark if they entered a 36 month loan term. Anything else put a red x. Car Payment 8% Or Less Than Salary - put a green checkmark if the Payment column has a monthly payment less than or equal to 8% times the entered salary.
Finally, I was trying to make it look a little nicer.
Can you try to make the design a little nicer now so it looks more like a full website? There should be some content that is SEO optimized at the top, focusing on the keyword phrase "Bad Credit Car Loans" and some good text on helping people make sure they are not taking on too much debt.
That was the last revision. You can see it at https://carloanswebsite.com. I even had it create an image for the logo as well. This is not a complete website or adequately set up for lead gen, but neither would take much more time. It is easy to see how you could flow the tool into a lead gen form or display a phone number if you are generating inbound calls for auto finance. People have been using calculators like this to help consumers on the internet for a long time. My point today was that this calculator took about 15 minutes (not counting DeepSeek's server problems) and was done without coding other than copy/paste. I imagine there could be a lot of other relatively simple programming tasks that AI could handle. These are tools that help consumers but also lead them into a lead generation funnel if they are ready for that next step.
A human wrote everything above. I was going to have AI edit or re-write it, but since we are doing examples today, I will just show you what AI thought the article should be. Gemini did the article below with the following prompt -
I used ai to create an online calculator for people considering a car loan. https://carloanswebsite.com/. This website has the calculator the follows the advice, as far as I can tell, from Money Guy's website. The calculator uses a 20/3/8 rule to see if the car loan you are looking at falls within the guidelines of what you should spend. I would like Gemini to write an article for me about using AI to code simple tools that can benefit consumers and potentially help with lead generation. You can use this as an example and then maybe come up with some other examples of tools that could be coded and help consumers in other verticals like home improvement, insurance, or finance.
Using AI to Build Simple Tools That Benefit Consumers and Drive Lead Generation
In the digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how businesses interact with consumers. One of the most practical applications of AI is in developing simple, effective tools that help users make informed financial decisions. Whether it's calculating car loan affordability, estimating home improvement costs, or comparing insurance rates, AI-driven calculators and tools can provide real value while also serving as a powerful method for lead generation.
AI in Consumer Finance: The 20/3/8 Car Loan Calculator
A great example of AI-powered consumer tools is the car loan affordability calculator available at CarLoansWebsite.com. This calculator follows the 20/3/8 rule, a financial guideline from Money Guy's website, which suggests that:
- You should put at least 20% down on a car.
- The loan should be no longer than 3 years.
- Your monthly car expenses should not exceed 8% of your gross income.
By inputting loan terms and financial details, users can quickly determine whether their car purchase falls within responsible spending guidelines. This tool provides immediate value to users while also attracting potential leads for financial institutions, auto dealerships, and credit unions.
Expanding AI Tools Across Industries
AI-driven tools are not limited to auto financing; they can be applied across numerous industries to benefit consumers and drive engagement. Here are some ideas for similar tools in other verticals:
1. Home Improvement: Renovation Budget Estimator
Many homeowners struggle to estimate the cost of renovations. An AI-powered renovation budget calculator could help users enter room dimensions, materials, and project scope to receive an estimated cost. This tool could be used by home improvement companies, contractors, or home financing providers to generate leads from homeowners planning renovations.
2. Insurance: Personalized Coverage Analyzer
An AI-based insurance needs calculator could assess a user's age, income, family status, and risk tolerance to suggest the best coverage options for auto, home, or life insurance. This tool would be invaluable for insurance providers looking to attract qualified leads and educate consumers about coverage gaps.
3. Finance: Debt Repayment Planner
Consumers struggling with debt often need a clear roadmap to financial freedom. An AI-powered debt repayment tool could help users compare strategies like the snowball or avalanche method and provide personalized repayment schedules. Financial advisors, credit counseling agencies, and banks could use such a tool to capture leads from those looking to improve their financial health.
The Benefits of AI-Driven Consumer Tools
Improved Decision-Making: AI tools provide instant, data-driven insights that help users make informed financial choices.
Increased Engagement: Interactive tools keep users on a website longer, increasing conversion opportunities.
Lead Generation: By offering value through calculators and assessments, businesses can collect user information and nurture potential clients.
Automation & Scalability: AI-powered tools require minimal maintenance while continuously providing accurate results, making them cost-effective investments.
Conclusion
AI-driven tools like the car loan calculator at CarLoansWebsite.com demonstrate the power of AI in simplifying financial decisions for consumers while serving as a strategic lead generation asset. Expanding this concept to industries such as home improvement, insurance, and personal finance can create even more opportunities for businesses to connect with and assist consumers. By leveraging AI in this way, companies can enhance user experience, establish authority in their niche, and ultimately drive growth.
If you're considering implementing an AI-powered tool for your business, now is the perfect time to invest in technology that provides both consumer value and business benefits.
