Zions Bancorporation is shifting its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy towards agentic AI, with a focus on improving operational efficiency, strengthening data infrastructure and delivering more proactive customer service.
The US banking group is also using technology from nCino, as it looks to integrate digital capabilities into its operations while maintaining customer trust.
The strategy highlights the importance of preparing both technology and employees for wider AI adoption. For Zions, moving beyond experimentation will require more than deploying new tools. The bank is also prioritising data quality, staff training and the infrastructure needed to support AI-driven processes.
Zions Bancorporation executive vice president and director of the Business Banking Loan Center Chantel Chase said, “I actually think we’re going to be much more nimble. I’m really excited about where the banking industry is going in the next five years. We’ll have a more seamless experience for our customers, and we’ll be able to be predictive and proactive versus today, where we’re very reactive.”
Neelan Suri, a Zions Bancorporation executive, identified three priorities for the bank’s AI plans: progressing from generative AI to agentic AI, using AI to improve internal operations and upgrading data infrastructure to support these developments.
Suri said, “One is switching from generative AI to more agentic AI and moving away from just generating content to actually having AI help do the work,” he said. “The second is looking internally at where AI can improve our operations, which translates into a better customer experience. And the third, AI is only as good as the data you give it, so a lot of infrastructural upgrades have to go in to enable all of this.”
Despite the growing role of automation, Zions does not expect AI to replace the human relationships that underpin banking. Chase said technology should help employees work more efficiently, allowing them to dedicate more time to customers and relationship-building.
“The functions that could never be replaced by AI, it’s the human element,” she said. “Banking is built on trust and relationships, and technology isn’t going to replace that. We still need trusted advisors who are empowered to use tools that make them more efficient, so they can focus more on building relationships than writing the book.”
Employee readiness is another consideration as the bank develops its approach. Suri said businesses need to establish a shared understanding of AI across different departments, including operations, technology and human resources. Zions is working to improve employee skills and provide tools that allow staff to explore the technology.
“There’s a definition alignment required for what AI means to a company, and it may differ by area — operations versus technology versus HR,” Suri said. “We’re upskilling people and giving them tools to explore.”
Transparency will also play a role in building confidence in AI. Chase said communicating how the technology is being used can help preserve trust as employees gain experience with AI-enabled tools.
“If we can be transparent about how we’re using AI, that helps maintain trust,” she said. “We build confidence through experience. The more we work with these tools, the more confident we’ll be in the outcomes.”
Zions has also opted to use nCino’s banking technology rather than develop its own software. Suri said the decision reflected the bank’s focus on banking rather than software development, as well as the benefits of using a platform that other financial institutions have adopted and helped improve over the past decade.
“Our primary business is banking, not software development,” he said. “Given all of the other banks that have adopted nCino and helped improve it over the last 10 years, it’s a much better proposition to build on what’s already been solved rather than reinventing the wheel ourselves. That was one big factor in why we chose to buy versus build.”
Looking ahead, Suri expects banking services to become more closely integrated into customers’ daily lives, supported by digitisation, smart contracts, digital assets and paperless processes.
“I see a future where banking is extremely frictionless, with digitisation, smart contracts, digital assets, and paperless banking. Banking is going to be embedded into the lives of our customers. We’ll probably know what the customer needs before they even realise it themselves.”
For Zions, achieving this vision will depend on more than adopting AI and banking platforms such as nCino. Its focus on data quality, employee preparedness and transparency underlines the organisational work required to support wider technology adoption while maintaining customer confidence.
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