Navigating AI Hype and Reality in Banking, with Barath Narayanan

In the latest episode of Digital Banking Podcast, host Josh DeTar, VP of Sales and Marketing at Tyfone, welcomed Barath Narayanan, Global BFSI and Europe Geo Head at Persistent Systems. The episode centered around how artificial intelligence is shaping productivity, strategy, and risk management across financial services worldwide.

Barath shared how AI has moved from a side conversation to the core of every client discussion. He described a clear shift: organizations now focus less on cutting costs and more on boosting output and speed with AI tools. Barath explored how adoption varies by region, with some markets demanding higher productivity gains and others held back by legacy infrastructure and data challenges. He stressed the need for careful governance, drawing on real-world stories where moving too fast led to costly mistakes. He also highlighted the importance of having experts in the loop and building strong guardrails to protect trust and brand.

Throughout the conversation, Barath and Josh examined how evolving technology, data quality, and global perspectives impact AI’s role in digital banking. The discussion underscored that progress in AI adoption is incremental, and that staying relevant means blending bold action with thoughtful risk management.