Practical AI Considerations for Community Banks

A common misconception among many community bankers is that it isn’t necessary to evaluate (or re-evaluate for some) their use of artificial intelligence – especially in the current market climate.

In reality, these technologies absolutely need a closer look. While the Covid-19 crisis and Paycheck Protection Program difficulties put a recent spotlight on outdated financial technology, slow technology adoption is a long-standing issue that is exacerbating many concerning industry trends.

Over the last decade, community banks have faced massive disruption and consolidation – a progression that is likely to continue. It’s imperative that bank executives take a clear-eyed look at how advanced technologies such as AI can support their business objectives and make them more competitive, while gaining a better understanding of the requirements and risks at play.

Incorporating AI to Elevate Existing Business Processes
This may seem like a contrarian view, but banks do not need a specific, stand-alone AI strategy. The value of AI is its ability to improve upon existing structures and processes. Leadership teams need to be involved in the development process to identify opportunities where AI can tangibly drive business objectives, and manage expectations around the resources necessary to get the project up and running.

For example, community banks should review how AI can automate efficiencies into their existing compliance processes – particularly in the areas of anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act compliance. This application of AI can free up manpower, reduces error rates and help banks make informed decisions while better serving their customers.

It’s necessary to have a strong link between a bank’s digital transformation program and AI program. When properly incorporated, AI helps community financial institutions better meet rising customer expectations and close the gap with large financial institutions that have heavily invested in their digital experiences.

Practical Steps for Incorporating AI
Once a bank decides the best path forward for implementing AI, there are a few technical and organizational steps to keep in mind:

Minimizing Technical Debt and “Dirty Data”: AI requires vast amounts of data to function. “Dirty data,” or information containing errors, is a real possibility. Additionally, developers regularly make trade-offs between speed and quality to keep projects moving, which can result in greater vulnerability to crashes. Managing these deficiencies, “or technical debt,” is crucial to the success of any AI solution. One way to minimize technical debt is to ensure that both the quantity and quality of data taken in by an AI system are carefully monitored. Organizations should also be highly intentional about the data they collect.More isn’t always better.

Minimizing technical debt and dirty data is also key to a smooth digital transformation process. Engineers can add value through new and competitive features rather than spending time and energy addressing errors – or worse, scrapping the existing infrastructure altogether.

Security & Risk Management: Security and risk management needs to be top-of-mind for community bankers any time they are looking to deploy new technologies, including leveraging AI. Most AI technologies are built by third-party vendors rather than in-house. Integrations can and likely will create vulnerabilities. To ensure security and risk management are built into your bank’s operating processes and remain of the highest priority, chief security officers should report directly to the CEO.

Managing risks that arise within AI systems is also crucial to avoid any interruptions. Effective risk management ties back to knowing exactly how and why changes affect the bank’s system. One common challenge is the accidental misuse of sensitive data or data being mistakenly revealed. Access to data should be tightly controlled by your organization.

Ongoing communication with employees is important since they are the front line when it comes to spotting potential issues. The root cause of any errors detected should be clearly tracked and understood so banks can make adjustments to the model and retrain the team as needed.

Resource Management: An O’Reilly Media survey from 2018 found that company culture was the leading impediment to AI adoption in the financial services sector. To address this, leaders should listen to and educate employees within each department as the company explores new applications. Having a robust change management program – not just for AI but for any digital transformation journey – is absolutely critical to success. Ongoing education around AI efforts will help garner support for future initiatives and empower employees to take a proactive role in the success of current projects.

At a glance, implementing AI technologies may seem daunting, but adopting a wait-and-see approach could prove detrimental – particularly for community banks. Smaller banks need to use every tool in their toolkit to survive in a consolidating market. AI poses a huge opportunity for community banks to become more innovative, competitive and prosperous.