{"id":18675,"date":"2019-11-27T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2019-11-27T08:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/industry\/blog\/?p=18675"},"modified":"2019-12-02T17:54:43","modified_gmt":"2019-12-02T16:54:43","slug":"ai-financial-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/industry\/blog\/financial-services\/2019\/11\/27\/ai-financial-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Opportunities, challenges and fears of AI in financial services"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a background in banking, I can say it\u2019s exciting to be close to, and understand, the potential for AI technology to transform the financial services industry.<\/p>\n

The marketplace is rapidly changing and competition is fierce. And, since the financial crash of 2009, the UK is home to the world\u2019s largest fintech sector. It\u2019s a new way of banking, providing customers with increased choice as to how they access financial products and services.<\/p>\n

AI is driving digital transformation across every industry \u2013 little wonder, then, that our recent report into the UK\u2019s AI scene, \u2018Accelerating competitive advantage with AI<\/strong><\/a>\u2019, revealed that organisations using AI outperform competitors by more than 11%. From a sector perspective, 72% of financial services are using the technology; far higher than the UK average of 56%.<\/p>\n

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Key challenges<\/h2>\n

51% of financial services leaders want their organisations to pioneer AI use. It\u2019s an ambition borne from the technology\u2019s potential to touch every aspect of a financial services business \u2013 from improving cyber-security efficiency to prioritising workloads and deliver enhanced, intelligent, and personalised customer experiences.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s a goal not without its challenges. As a highly regulated sector, and one concerned with the ever-present threat of cyber-security, deployment can be constrained. Fears over risk and compliance take hold. Moving from innovation to implementation can be slow.<\/p>\n

As Abhijit Akerkhar of Lloyds Banking Group, explains, \u2018The focus now for the financial sector is on scaling AI. How do we do that in the right, safe way while generating tangible value?\u2019<\/p>\n

This question is precisely explored in \u2018Accelerating the competitive advantage with AI\u2019. The report explores how organisations can become AI-enabled, and highlights three core requirements when undertaking this journey.<\/p>\n