From Pymnts · PYMNTS · · 1m 10s
Do Banks Need AI Employees More Than Core Upgrades?
Banks can add AI coworkers without replacing legacy systems, Kastle CEO says.
In brief
Banks can add AI coworkers without replacing legacy systems, Kastle CEO says. Banks can modernize lending and customer services using AI agents that work with existing systems without costly core upgrades. Originally reported by Pymnts.
Kastle CEO Rishi Choudhary
Kastle CEO Rishi Choudhary believes banks have been approaching AI modernization from the wrong end of the technology stack.
“Rishi Choudhary, Co-Founder and CEO of Kastle, believes that banks have been approaching AI modernization from the wrong end of the technology stack: the legacy end.”
AI Agents on Top of Legacy Systems
Kastle proposes AI agents that operate on top of existing banking infrastructure without replacing core systems.
“We think of the agents as the action layer on top of [legacy cores].”
AI Agents as Coworkers
AI agents function like coworkers, handling tasks such as customer calls and compliance alerts while updating bank systems.
“An agent receives an assignment such as a customer call, case file or compliance alert, then executes the authorized work and updates the bank’s systems.”
Limited Authority for AI Agents
AI agents cannot independently reverse payments or make changes without human oversight.
“An AI collections agent, for example, may process a customer’s payment but cannot independently reverse it.”
AI Agents Grow with Performance
Banks can start with repetitive tasks for AI agents and gradually increase their responsibilities as they prove reliability.
“An AI loan officer assistant might begin with outbound lead screening. After demonstrating reliability, it can advance to automated prequalification and eventually take complete loan applications.”
Community Banks Benefit Most
Community banks can use AI agents to handle repetitive work while keeping human staff focused on customer relationships.
“For community bankers, the objective is to transfer repetitive administrative work to agents while preserving human attention for relationships and complex customer needs.”
Why AI Agents Work
AI agents solve operational friction that causes customer calls, not just answering more calls.
“You’re onboarding an agent exactly how you would onboard a person.”
The short version
Banks can modernize lending and customer services using AI agents that work with existing systems without costly core upgrades.
