AI agents break into banking, and major US banks are starting to prepare "disaster recovery plans"
As the activity of AI agents representing individual customers surges, major US banks have begun to take precautions. Some agents conduct financial operations autonomously without explicit human instructions, and even call customer service centers on users' behalf without authorization. Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, warned that if AI agents follow instructions to "maximize fund returns," banks will lose a large amount of low-cost deposits, thereby impacting the entire financial system. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said this trend cannot be stopped, and the only option is to do everything possible to manage it well.
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AI agents break into banking, major US banks begin preparing "post-disaster contingency plans" IT Home Download the app for exclusive early access October 25, 2026, 15:46:59 From Shandong
IT Home, October 25 news: Pessimistic predictions of an AI apocalypse are no longer just the alarmist talk of a handful of tech billionaires.
According to an Axios report, as the activity of AI agents representing individual customers surges, major banks have already begun to take precautions.
The core concern stems from the massive volume of financial operations brought by autonomous AI agents: after users authorize these agents to access their bank accounts, they can independently carry out financial actions. The report says some agents' operations are not receiving explicit human instructions, and some even call customer service centers on users' behalf without permission.
Some experts believe that if this emerging risk cannot be controlled, it could trigger a financial disaster. Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, explained in a late-September briefing: if AI agents follow instructions to "maximize returns on funds," banks will lose a large amount of low-cost deposits used for lending, thereby dealing a blow to the entire financial system.
This sounds very realistic. The profit-oriented banking system was never designed to withstand this kind of large-scale, user-interest-leaning fund optimization behavior. To use an analogy: a casino where the slot machines always win steadily against players cannot last long once it is changed so that every player can reliably profit.
IT Home notes that Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said earlier this month in Chicago to a gathering of economists and financial experts: "You think they will do things properly according to your wishes, but they may not. This trend cannot be stopped; you can only do your utmost to manage and control it."
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