AI in Banking Is a Workforce Problem, Not a Technology One – The Fintech Times

Dr Rita Fontinha, director of flexible working at the World of Work Institute, Henley Business School, researches workforce development, organisational change and skills in banking. Her argument is that the constraint on AI adoption in banks is no longer the technology but the readiness of the people expected to use it. The Fintech Times put written questions to her on where responsibility for that readiness sits, what a systemic approach looks like in practice, and which banks have something worth copying.
AI adoption in banking is no longer just about choosing the right technology. The bigger challenge is understanding how it will affect people's jobs, skills and sense of job security. AI may not replace most jobs entirely, but it will transform many of their tasks.
Our research suggests that AI can be both helpful and demanding. It can remove repetitive work and improve productivity, but it can also create uncertainty, pressure to learn quickly and concerns about monitoring or job security. The outcome depends greatly on how banks introduce it. Ultimately, AI creates value only when employees have the confidence, skills and support to use it effectively and responsibly.
HSBC’s appointment signals that AI is moving from dispersed experimentation towards strategic leadership at a corporate level. Appointing a Chief AI Officer suggests that AI is becoming key to the bank’s operating model rather than remaining solely an IT responsibility.
However, appointing one senior leader should not concentrate all responsibility for workforce readiness in a single role. That responsibility must be shared across the Chief AI Officer, HR, learning and development, technology, risk, business-unit leaders and line managers. HR must translate the AI strategy into workforce planning, job redesign and development pathways. Managers must help employees apply the technology responsibly in their daily work, while employees should have a meaningful voice in implementation.
Many banks are investing in AI tools and introductory training, but training does not automatically translate into capability. Employees need opportunities to apply approved tools to real work, understand their limitations and receive feedback.
Key gaps include insufficient learning time, uneven access to development and limited preparation for line managers. Banks must also develop technical skills, as well as critical and ethical judgement.
A systemic approach starts by identifying how AI will change tasks and skills across different roles, and then providing learning pathways tailored to those needs.
Learning should be continuous and embedded in everyday work through protected time, practical experimentation, peer support and coaching, rather than simply setting time aside for a mandatory two-hour training, for example. It must also connect with job design, workforce planning and career progression.
Line managers are essential because they translate an organisation’s AI strategy into employees’ everyday experience. They determine whether people receive time to learn, feel safe admitting uncertainty and understand where AI can (or cannot) be used. They also identify how tasks are changing and where employees may need additional development.
However, managers cannot fulfil this role if they are themselves uncertain, insufficiently trained or already overstretched. They need early access to tools, role-specific guidance and clear escalation routes for ethical, regulatory and data-related concerns. They also need support in redesigning work, leading conversations about career change and evaluating performance when employees and AI jointly produce an outcome.
Banks should communicate honestly about why AI is being introduced, how roles may change and what support employees will receive. Involving employees in testing tools, providing protected learning time and maintaining clear human accountability can make adoption less threatening. While there cannot be a promise of job security, training should also connect to credible career pathways, showing employees how new skills can support meaningful work and progression.
There are several promising public examples, although it remains too early to draw firm conclusions about long-term workforce outcomes. NatWest has combined bank-wide access to approved AI tools with training for approximately 60,000 colleagues; more than half reportedly opted for additional development. Its bank-wide accreditation in AI and data ethics is also important because capability must include responsible judgement, not simply tool proficiency.
HSBC has introduced mandatory responsible-AI training alongside an AI Academy offering learning from beginner to advanced levels. This illustrates the value of combining common foundations with differentiated development.
A particularly useful intervention is protected experimentation time, such as initiatives encouraging employees to apply AI to real work problems regularly rather than only attending a course. The most convincing evidence will eventually come from organisations that evaluate not only adoption and productivity, but also skill development, employee confidence, workload, job quality and customer outcomes over time.
Rowen Brooks is an AI staff writer at Disrupts Media, the publisher of The Fintech Times, The Biotech Times, The Datatech Times and Disrupts. She reports across all four titles, covering financial technology, biotechnology, data and the wider field of emerging technology. Her work spans news, interviews, commentary round-ups and explainers, with a focus on how new technology is built, funded and adopted, and what it means for the businesses and people using it. She can be reached at [email protected].
The Fintech Times is the world’s first and only newspaper dedicated to fintech.
Published Bimonthly, the Fintech Times explores the explosive world of financial technology, blending first hand insight, opinion and expertise with observational journalism to provide a balanced and comprehensive perspective of this rapidly evolving industry.
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This is a newsfeed from leading technology publications. No additional editorial review has been performed before posting.