Huntington National Bank has launched an artificial intelligence platform designed to help small-business owners handle tasks ranging from starting a company to preparing for loans and creating marketing campaigns.
Called The 1866 Studio, the platform was built with Google Cloud’s Gemini technology and uses AI agents to help entrepreneurs manage financial, operational and business tasks from a single interface.
The platform takes its name from the year Huntington was founded.
Early-access registration opened on October 19 and is available even to entrepreneurs who are not Huntington Bank customers.
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AI Agents Will Help Owners Run Daily Business Tasks
The 1866 Studio is designed to go beyond a traditional banking app.
Huntington says the system will use agentic AI workflows that can help business owners move from receiving information to actually completing tasks.
An AI agent differs from a normal chatbot because it can perform a sequence of actions rather than simply answer a question.
For example, an entrepreneur starting a new company could use the platform to work through business registration, licensing and operational requirements.
The system can then produce a customised plan outlining the steps required to launch the business.
Another set of AI tools will help companies generate marketing material, digital advertisements and social-media campaigns using Google’s Gemini models.
The platform is also designed to retain relevant business context across tasks, meaning owners should not need to repeatedly provide the same information as they move between different activities.
Huntington says users will remain in control of the actions carried out by the system.
Loan Readiness Becomes Part of AI Banking
One of the more significant features involves business financing.
The platform will include an AI-powered loan-readiness tool designed to help business owners understand whether they are prepared to apply for financing.
The system can identify potential weaknesses, explain what lenders normally expect and recommend steps that may strengthen a future application.
That could include improving financial records, addressing gaps in business planning or preparing supporting documentation.
The feature does not mean the AI itself approves loans.
Instead, it is intended to help entrepreneurs better understand what may affect their chances of obtaining finance.
For banks, that creates a new way to interact with potential borrowers before they formally apply for credit.
It also moves AI deeper into the relationship between financial institutions and small businesses.
Huntington Wants Platform to Cover Entire Business Lifecycle
Huntington says The 1866 Studio will eventually support entrepreneurs from the earliest stages of creating a company through growth, succession or a potential sale.
The initial version focuses on business launch support, marketing and financing preparation.
More AI agents are expected to be introduced over the next year.
Huntington President Brant Standridge said the bank wants the platform to become part of the everyday operating environment for small businesses.
The strategy could also help the bank attract customers who initially sign up only for the AI tools.
Huntington currently operates more than 1,400 branches across 21 US states and has around $284 billion in assets.
The bank is already a major small-business lender.
Making the platform available to non-customers means entrepreneurs can begin using Huntington’s digital services before opening a traditional banking relationship.
Google Cloud Pushes AI Deeper Into Banking
The project is part of a multi-year partnership between Huntington and Google Cloud.
Google’s Gemini platform provides the underlying AI infrastructure used to build and manage the agents.
The partnership reflects a wider shift in financial services.
Banks initially used generative AI mainly for internal tasks such as summarising documents, assisting employees and improving customer-service systems.
They are now beginning to build AI tools that directly help customers manage businesses and make financial decisions.
That creates new opportunities but also raises governance questions.
An AI system helping someone prepare a loan application, build a business plan or make operational decisions needs reliable data and clear boundaries around what actions it can take.
Huntington says customers will remain in control of the system and that its wider Google Cloud partnership includes governed AI capabilities.
The success of The 1866 Studio will depend on whether small-business owners see AI agents as genuinely useful operating tools rather than another layer of banking software.
If adoption grows, other banks could follow with similar platforms combining financial services with AI-powered business management.
What this means for you:
AI is moving beyond banking chatbots into tools that can help entrepreneurs run parts of their businesses. Small-business owners should still independently verify financial, legal and regulatory guidance before acting on AI-generated recommendations.
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