Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant are back with a conversation on AI agents, vendor hype, and what banks actually need to solve before adding another layer to the tech stack.

They start with Fiserv’s Agent OS and the broader AI agent race in banking, including where tools like this may fit, where the wording gets fuzzy, and why commercial lending and AML look like early proving grounds. From there, they get into the harder part: getting boards, executives, and teams comfortable with AI without pretending it is either magic or a threat to every job.

The episode closes with OpenAI and Plaid’s move into personal finance inside ChatGPT, and whether AI powered advice has real value without the ability to take action for customers.

Subscribe for practical, skeptical, and occasionally spicy conversations on what is actually going on in banking.

Show Notes:

• For Small Banks in AI, Here's How to Bring Skeptics Along
• The AI Agent Race in Banking: Fiserv Steps Up To The Starting Line With agentOS
• OpenAI Wants to Help With Your Finances. It Wants Your $100/Month Even More

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Chapters
[0:00] Welcome: New Orleans, Conferences & Banker Concerns
[4:37] Fiserv’s Agent OS Enters the AI Agent Race
[8:07] What “Agentic AI” Actually Means
[10:26] Operating System or Orchestration Layer?
[12:13] Commercial Lending & AML: The First AI Agent Use Cases
[15:50] How AI Could Change Commercial Lending
[19:20] Bringing AI Skeptics Along
[22:00] The AI Capability Continuum
[23:42] When AI Should Act Autonomously
[25:08] Culture, Risk & the Future Banking Workforce
[27:31] Why Bank Leaders Can’t Ignore AI Decisions
[31:04] OpenAI + Plaid: ChatGPT Enters Personal Finance
[33:03] Why Ron Is Skeptical of AI Financial Advice
[37:20] Small Business AI Adoption & Customer Behavior
[40:59] Advice vs. Execution: Where AI Finance Gets Valuable

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A bank CEO used an AI clone on an earnings call…and that was just the start.

Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant get into what AI agents could actually mean for banking, from back-office automation and decision-making to governance, blockchain, and why most banks are still asking the wrong questions about AI.

Real talk on where the industry is headed and what community banks should actually be paying attention to.

Show Notes:

• This bank CEO let his AI clone handle an earnings call — now he's signing an OpenAI deal
• Agents are starting to operate real systems — who’s actually in control?
• Ron's Substack

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Chapters
[00:00] Intro + Banking Conference Talk
[02:22] Bank CEO Uses AI Clone on Earnings Call
[03:39] Ron’s Take on the OpenAI Deal
[06:05] Governance & Compliance Concerns
[07:06] The Bigger Conversation Around AI Agents
[08:14] “Who’s Actually Controlling the AI?”
[10:03] AI Identity, Blockchain & “Know Your Agent”
[12:28] Stablecoins, Payments & AI Agents at Scale
[13:43] Why Banks May Be Overthinking AI Risk
[15:25] AI Agents Won’t Start With Payments
[17:13] The REAL Strategic Question for Banks
[18:28] AI’s Biggest Advantage: Speed
[20:09] Cost, Change Management & Operational Risk
[22:08] Stacey’s Argument for Blockchain in Banking
[25:12] Ron: “Don’t Invest in Blockchain”

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"Wait and see” might be the most expensive strategy in banking right now.

In this episode of What’s Going On in Banking, Ron Shevlin and Stacey Bryant unpack the real implications behind Jamie Dimon’s comments and why AI, tokenization, and shifting customer behavior are forcing banks to make decisions now, not later.

They break down the three battles banks are actually fighting: where to invest (branches vs. digital), who owns the customer relationship, and why deposits are becoming more volatile than ever. Along the way, they challenge the idea of “core” customers, call out the slow erosion happening to bank relationships, and explain why most personalization efforts still miss the mark.

This isn’t about what’s coming next…it’s about what’s already happening.

What’s Going On in Banking Post of the Month — How Selection Works:
We’re watching 👀!! The WGOIB team highlights the sharpest, spiciest takes we see each month, no formal submissions needed.

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Chapters:
[00:00] Intro & Financial Brand Forum recap
[07:00] Are bank branches still worth it?
[10:45] “Every budget is a confession”
[15:00] The shift from branches to digital investment
[20:30] The real deposit war begins
[22:30] Fintechs are winning new accounts
[24:30] Why “core deposits” are dead
[26:30] The slow bleed of customer relationships
[30:00] Why personalization has failed banks
[31:30] AI changes the game for personalization
[33:00] Trust vs. privacy in AI
[34:30] From product offers to product design
[36:00] What real personalization actually looks like
[38:30] Where banks go wrong next

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