Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are becoming increasingly relied upon by financial services companies and the credit sector; the algorithms powering these solutions have also advanced the use of AI and machine learning; while these advancements have helped new solutions they have also created new risks; these risks are primarily focused in three phases: input, training and programming; risks can also be higher when using nontraditional data; a report from White and Case titled, "Algorithms and Bias: What Lenders Need to Know" provides details on the evolution of algorithms in artificial intelligence and machine learning and explains important factors to consider for credit providers. Source
Artificial intelligence startup Kasisto raised a $9.2 million Series A round that was led by Propel Venture Partners; the company intends to use the funds to expand into new markets, grow the engineering and sales teams and develop partnerships with systems integrators to enhance their platform; Kasisto is a fintech startup that lets companies engage and transact with their customers through natural, intelligent conversations via smart bots and virtual assistants. Source
Artificial intelligence is maturing and has gained significant traction in some of the market's leading industries; Finovate provides eight areas where artificial intelligence is being utilized and gives predictions on its potential value; top industry services using artificial intelligence include robo advisory, advisory tools, fraud detection and underwriting; services with significant value potential in 2017 include regulatory compliance, marketing, customer service and reporting tools. Source
Consumers are increasingly relying on voice technology for messaging and also through services like the Amazon Echo Alexa and Apple Siri; in voice technology, innovators are now seeking new ways for systems to more broadly understand context and speak coherently in conversations; however as the technology evolves, privacy and security have become concerns; overall, demand from consumers for voice technology is likely to continue because of the convenience it offers. Source
Artificial intelligence innovation is an important focus for many companies in 2017. Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Company has taken a lead in the insurance market with its announcement to replace 34 workers in its payment assessment department with an IBM Watson artificial intelligence solution. The firm says the Watson system will improve productivity and save approximately 140 million yen ($1.21 million) per year. This is one of the first times we've seen a public announcement of how employees have been replaced as a direct result of artificial intelligence. Source
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold a fintech forum focusing on blockchain and artificial intelligence on March 9, 2017; the forum will be the third fintech forum for the FTC; event will be free and open to the public at the University of California, Berkeley. Source
Predictions in 2015 estimated that within 20 years half of the jobs in Japan could be done by robots; the Nomura Research Institute worked with Michael Osborne in 2015 to study 600 jobs in Japan reporting that 49% could be replaced by computer systems; since the 2015 predictions there has been a continued trend toward artificial intelligence with Japanese insurance company Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance releasing one of the first public announcements on artificial intelligence replacing a significant portion of workers in its payment processing department in January 2017. Source
CompareEuropeGroup is a London fintech company using artificial intelligence to develop digital and automated services for financial companies; it has obtained 20 million euros ($21.32 million) in new capital from a Series A funding round; investors included ACE & Company, Pacific Century Group, Nova Founders Capital, SBI Holdings, Mark Pincus and Peter Thiel; the company will use the funds to develop its technology and machine learning services. Source
Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions are emerging in the wealth management space as a rival for robo advice; AI solutions are providing more sophisticated investment portfolio options than robo advisors using machine learning data optimization capabilities; there are a number of AI solutions supporting investment management that are already being used broadly within wealth management including Watson, Alladin, Kensho and Sqreem; these artificial intelligence systems and others under development have the capability to develop investing portfolios based on a range of technological data inputs while also using machine learning to analyze, interpret and act on information obtained from various sources such as news articles and social media; it's predicted that these AI solutions could evolve into offering more robust portfolio advice directly for retail investors. Source
Fraud protection is a leading factor for consumers and MasterCard has recognized this demand; it has recently introduced a Decision Intelligence security platform that utilizes artificial intelligence technology; the technology uses a scoring system that seeks to reduce fraudulent charges and falsely declined transactions; the Decision Intelligence platform is one of many services the firm is using to help increase card usage and retain large client relationships. Source