29 May Webinar: AI-Powered Banking
In our recent webinar, “AI-Powered Banking: Boosting Efficiency While Preserving Your Community Identity,” Directlink Co-Founder and COO Ben Nichols delivered an in-depth look at how community banks and credit unions can adopt artificial intelligence without compromising the personal, local touch that defines their institutions.
Here’s a recap of the conversation and why AI is no longer optional but essential.
The Four-Pillar Roadmap to AI Readiness
Ben outlined a clear, actionable framework for financial institutions to begin or advance their AI journey. The roadmap is built around four key pillars:
Foundations: Understanding What AI Really Is
AI isn’t a monolith. It’s a family of technologies, including machine learning, natural language processing, large language models (LLMs), and more, designed to simulate decision-making, recognize patterns, and drive automation.
Ben emphasized that many vendors use terms like “AI-powered” or “intelligent automation” without clear definitions. For community institutions to make informed investments, they must understand:
- The distinction between AI and traditional software (rules-based vs. predictive models)
- How AI can be applied across departments: from call centers to lending to fraud prevention
- The shift from early adopters to the early majority, AI is no longer experimental
Takeaway: AI should be evaluated like any other enterprise system, with measurable outputs and operational alignment.
Practicality: Starting Where You Are
Ben debunked the myth that AI is only for large institutions. AI’s value lies in its ability to automate high-frequency, low-value tasks and unlock bandwidth across your team.
He encouraged attendees to identify simple, repetitive use cases like:
- Balance inquiries
- Password resets
- Call routing and basic account maintenance
- Initial KYC screening
Directlink’s Routine Call Cost Calculator offers a starting point to quantify labor hours spent on these tasks and the savings AI could immediately unlock.
Takeaway: Start with one clear use case. Prove the ROI. Build internal buy-in from there.
Responsibility: Navigating Risk and Compliance
Ben addressed the elephant in the room: How do you adopt AI responsibly when the regulatory landscape is still evolving?
He introduced five core questions every institution should ask AI vendors:
- How does your AI make decisions?
Is it rules-based? Predictive? Can the logic be clearly explained to regulators?
- How is performance measured?
What KPIs are tracked? Can the AI’s decisions be audited or rolled back?
- What is your maintenance process?
How are updates tested and deployed? Can you manage model drift and ensure continuity?
- How do you address bias and fairness?
Are there checks in place to prevent discrimination or unfair outcomes?
- What are the controls for failure?
If the AI fails or cannot answer, what’s the fallback? How are errors reported and resolved?
Ben also stressed the importance of developing an internal AI Policy, something few institutions currently have in place. This policy should outline:
- Acceptable AI use cases
- Data handling and privacy rules
- Employee and third-party guidelines
- Review and audit protocols
Takeaway: Responsible AI adoption begins with governance. Don’t wait for regulators, lead the way with internal policy.
Identity: Keeping Your Human Touch
Community institutions are built on trust and relationships, qualities that can be at risk if technology replaces them too quickly.
Ben laid out best practices for deploying AI while reinforcing your brand and values:
- Use AI to extend, not replace, human interaction.
Virtual assistants and automated workflows free up staff to focus on high-value, personalized service. - Give AI your institution’s voice.
Directlink’s Virtual Voice product allows you to create a branded, consistent, and regionally attuned voice experience across channels. - Be transparent with customers and members.
Communicate why and how AI is used. Reinforce your commitment to privacy and ethical usage. - Design for human-in-the-loop experiences.
AI should pass seamlessly to a live agent when needed, with full context preserved. Never create dead ends or frustrating loops.
Takeaway: AI should feel like a natural extension of your brand, trusted, consistent, and aligned with your community’s expectations.
Directlink’s AI Solutions for Community Financial Institutions
To wrap up the session, Ben provided a brief overview of how Directlink’s AI offerings are tailored for community banks and credit unions:
- Virtual Banker: Core-integrated automation for balance inquiries, transfers, transactions, and more
- Virtual Voice: A branded, lifelike voice experience tailored to your institution
- Virtual Operator: AI call routing with regional context and seamless handoffs
- Virtual KYC: Passive caller authentication to detect fraud before it reaches your agents
- Call Center AI: Sentiment analysis, live transcriptions, and agent coaching tools
These solutions are designed to be flexible, scalable, and deeply integrated with existing core systems, so your institution can get started quickly and grow strategically.
What’s Next? Start Small. Move Smart. Stay Human.
AI is not a trend; it’s a permanent shift in how service, efficiency, and growth are achieved. But success doesn’t come from technology alone. It comes from strategy, alignment, and trust.
Want to explore AI adoption with your leadership team? Need help drafting an internal AI policy or evaluating vendors?
