SBI is accelerating the deployment of artificial intelligence across critical banking operations, with a focus on fraud prevention, proactive risk management, anti-money laundering (AML) and cheque processing.
SBI Chairman C. S. Setty said the country’s largest lender is increasingly using AI in back-office operations and plans to shift its entire cheque processing system to artificial intelligence. The move is aimed at improving operational efficiency while reducing the need for manual intervention in high-volume processes.
The bank sees significant potential for AI in areas where large volumes of transactions and data need to be continuously assessed. Fraud prevention and AML are among the key areas identified for wider adoption, along with proactive risk management.
According to Setty, AI deployment will primarily target repetitive, high-volume and rule-based activities rather than replacing customer-facing roles. Automating such processes can reduce employees’ routine operational workload and enable them to devote greater attention to activities requiring human judgement and direct customer engagement.
Cheque processing is expected to be one of the significant areas of transformation. SBI’s plan to move the entire process to an AI-driven system reflects the growing use of intelligent automation in traditional banking operations that previously required substantial manual processing.
The development also highlights the expanding role of AI in banking risk management. Financial institutions are increasingly exploring technology to identify suspicious transactions, detect unusual patterns and strengthen internal risk-monitoring processes.
For SBI, the emphasis appears to be on using AI as an operational and risk-management tool while retaining human involvement in functions where judgement, decision-making and customer interaction remain important.
