Financial Firms Shift from AI Pilots to Scaled Deployment

By Milan Rojan

Belgium’s financial services sector has entered a new phase of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, moving beyond experimentation towards large-scale deployment and measurable business outcomes, according to a recent industry study.

The research has indicated that financial institutions have increasingly integrated AI into core business operations, with a growing focus on achieving tangible returns on investment and deploying more advanced agentic AI systems capable of executing complex tasks with limited human intervention.

According to the study, expectations surrounding AI investments have risen significantly. Around 75% of surveyed organisations have expected positive returns from their AI initiatives, compared with 47% a year earlier. Furthermore, half of respondents have anticipated generating returns worth at least twice their investment, reflecting growing confidence in AI’s commercial potential.

The findings have suggested that the sector has moved away from isolated pilot programmes and towards enterprise-wide implementation. While early AI adoption has largely centred on chatbots, coding assistants and productivity tools, institutions have increasingly applied generative AI across a broader range of business functions.

Claims processing has emerged as one of the most widely adopted use cases, with 67% of respondents reporting active deployment. Other applications have included know-your-customer (KYC) processes, asset-liability management and underwriting, where organisations have explored AI-driven automation to improve efficiency and decision-making.

The study has also highlighted the growing emergence of agentic AI within financial services. Unlike traditional AI tools that have supported individual tasks, agentic systems have been designed to autonomously manage multi-step workflows and interact with various systems to achieve defined objectives. Several financial institutions have already implemented such technologies as part of their digital transformation efforts.

Despite growing optimism, the research has identified workforce transformation as a key challenge. Approximately 60% of respondents have expected workforce reductions of up to 10% over the next three years as automation has become more widespread. At the same time, 80% of organisations have acknowledged that they have yet to develop comprehensive workforce transition strategies to address evolving skills requirements and organisational change.

The findings have further emphasised that governance, accountability and employee enablement have become increasingly important as AI adoption has accelerated. Financial institutions have also introduced internal AI platforms that have enabled non-technical employees to build and deploy automated workflows, helping to broaden access to AI capabilities across their organisations.

Overall, the study has portrayed a financial sector transitioning from experimentation to operational maturity. As institutions have expanded AI investments and deployed increasingly sophisticated systems, the focus has shifted towards scalability, workforce adaptation and delivering measurable business value from AI initiatives.