Artificial Intelligence or AI has transformed the financial services industry worldwide. In just a few years, the industry has become more dependent on technology supporting data aggregation, security, products and services. The initial launch of AI technology primarily focused on deriving insights. Since then, the adoption of AI has progressed to other areas of the finance industry, including fraud detection, customer identity and other authentication techniques.

The finance industry is continuing to automate and improve various areas of business with robotics and AI. We are likely to continue seeing a shift towards accelerated machine learning in enhancing human impact across the business. AI and ML have already established a better understanding of customer behaviours and preferences, enabling the finance industry to create a more personalised approach at scale and improve the overall customer experience. Moving forward, this element of AI will become even more important in the finance industry. The ability to provide a more custom and personal customer experience is valuable in finance. AI sits at the core of delivering these features. It can be in the form of personal loan offerings based on a range of parameters. Customers no longer need to select off the shelf products. Instead, individuals have access to unique offerings designed especially for them. AI-powered lending plans is another emerging trend. Portfolio management and retirement planning with the support of AI can deliver intelligent investment plans tailored to each individual.

As the finance landscape continues evolving, we will likely see emerging regulations beyond protecting bank data and other personal information. Having the power to detect trends in large data sets, AI can determine unique information based on data, such as online purchases or website visitors. 

The finance industry has the opportunity to select from a wide range of use cases to determine how they can apply AI to their advantage. They also have the data available to leverage the insights and deliver value for their customers and clients. Incumbent businesses will need to adapt and explore their operations, shift away from legacy processes and harness the real benefits of AI. With AI still evolving, early adopters of this industry will likely gain a significant advantage and the necessary experience to succeed. Businesses that fail to adopt these measures until established will risk falling behind their competitors in the future.

In terms of fintech, AI offers several disruptive opportunities. While these may present a threat to the incumbent banks, there are also many opportunities for traditional banks to partner with fintech. Banks have the added advantage of having an existing large customer base, while fintech has access to new technology and AI features. With the right plan in place, there is a chance to deliver a win-win situation for banks, fintech and the customer. Over the next few years, we will likely see a rise in automated technology interacting with the end-user. With the pandemic showing the importance of remote services, bots and other similar technology will become even more familiar in the finance world. A recent survey by EY discovered that 64% of financial businesses plan to significantly increase the use of AI technology within the next two years. Analysts believe AI will become a vital part of the finance industry, generating new revenue channels and automating processes to enhance the customer experience. No area of the finance sector is likely to remain disconnected from AI in the future.