Generative AI in Banking: From POCs to Front-Office Impact

Generative AI in banking is moving from headline hype to hands-on execution. In this conversation, Backbase’s Ahmad Ghandour and industry analyst Jim Marous align on a simple truth: press releases don’t transform banks—production rollouts do. The shift they describe is a practical one. Yes, back-office automation has delivered early wins in cost and efficiency, but the clearest, fastest ROI appears when AI touches the front office—the customer’s journey.

That’s why platforms like Backbase are embedding generative AI directly into the digital banking layer, collapsing siloed tools and surfacing intelligence across onboarding, service, and credit touchpoints. Think AI-led onboarding that verifies documents and pre-populates data; AI-assisted underwriting that augments risk signals with context; and AI-powered customer service that resolves routine inquiries instantly while escalating nuanced cases with richer insight. The goal isn’t more bots—it’s measurable outcomes: higher conversion, lower abandonment, faster time to yes, and better NPS.

Marous underscores the gap between aspiration and action. Many banks are still stuck in the “POC press release” cycle. The leaders are different: they deploy in production, put humans-in-the-loop where trust is critical, instrument outcomes, and iterate. Front-office AI becomes the proving ground: when a bank sees immediate lift in application completion or first-contact resolution, it earns the mandate to extend AI deeper into middle- and back-office workflows.

Crucially, Ahmad notes that where you place AI matters. Start at the customer edge to see results quickly, then scale into operations. This sequencing builds momentum without compromising governance. It also helps align business and technology: product owners can target specific drop-off points, while risk teams wrap controls around models and journeys—not just models in isolation.

Fraud prevention remains a hotbed of innovation—and urgency. Sessions that “scare you to death” on attack vectors also highlight rapid advances in preventive AI, where real-time signals reduce false positives and block sophisticated scams without degrading customer experience.

Bottom line: banks that embed generative AI in banking platforms (not sidecar pilots) and focus on front-office value first are turning AI from a lab project into a revenue, retention, and risk-control engine—measured, governed, and live.