For decades, the Bloomberg Terminal has been the indispensable, yet notoriously complex, tool for finance professionals. Its dense screens of numbers and text require specialized knowledge to navigate effectively. But with the platform now ingesting an ever-expanding universe of data—from weather reports to shipping logs—even veteran users are struggling to keep up.
"It has become more and more untenable," says Bloomberg CTO Shawn Edwards. "You miss things, or it takes too long."
To address this, Bloomberg is testing a new chatbot-style interface called ASKB (pronounced 'ask-bee'). Powered by a suite of language models, ASKB aims to simplify access to the Terminal's vast data trove, allowing traders to ask questions in natural language and get concise answers. The move marks a significant shift for a platform that has long prided itself on its keyboard shortcuts and command-line efficiency.
While details on the rollout remain scarce, the initiative reflects a broader industry trend: bringing AI-powered conversational interfaces to legacy financial tools. Whether users embrace the change or not, the Terminal is getting an AI makeover.