AI adoption in financial services is moving beyond experimentation, but scaling AI-powered customer experiences still presents a fundamental challenge: how can organisations innovate without losing control? At FTT AI Transformation in June, Savita Nandan, Strategic Portfolio Manager at Rabobank, shared her perspective on what it takes to make AI adoption work at scale. For Savita, the answer starts with governance. Strong governance needs to be paired with an environment where employees are trusted and empowered to test and develop new AI use cases, while continuously building their own AI skills. The combination of clear guardrails and greater confidence across the workforce can help organisations move from isolated experiments towards a more effective AI adoption journey.

The rise of AI also raises questions about the future role of human agents. Rather than simply reducing the number of people involved, Savita sees an opportunity to rethink where human expertise is most valuable. AI can take on repetitive work, allowing employees to focus on situations that require judgement, context and empathy. The goal is not necessarily fewer humans, but humans spending more time on the work that genuinely needs them.

AI agents themselves are also evolving. According to Savita, they are moving beyond traditional chatbots towards becoming a coordination layer across the customer journey. From initial customer interactions and fraud detection through to lending decisions, AI agents could increasingly connect and coordinate different stages of the process. This points to a broader shift in financial services, where AI becomes less about answering questions and more about orchestrating entire journeys.