As excitement and concern around AI grow in equal measure, the Started Advisory Board convened CEOs, founders and financial services leaders for a behind-closed-doors discussion on accountability, trust and what the sector cannot afford to get wrong.
On Thursday 15 October, the Started Advisory Board, a unique fintech communications-focused think tank, brought together senior leaders from fintech, banking, payments, investment and media for an open debate on AI, accountability and trust in financial services.
Curated by Started PR, and hosted by Checkout.com, An Evening with the Started Advisory Board explored how financial services businesses can realise AI’s benefits while retaining human judgement, clear accountability and customer trust. An audience open mic invited guests to challenge the panel, share experiences and question assumptions about how AI will shape the sector.
The evening opened with remarks from Asif Faruque, Senior Director of Communications at Checkout.com, before a live debate hosted by author and presenter Ian Horne. Contributors included Advisory Board members Susanne Chishti, Katie Ramsey, Jas Shah, Raf De Kimpe, Jason Williams and David Savage. The event brought together a high-calibre audience of CEOs, founders, operators and those building the next generation of financial services in the age of AI.
The debate explored the gap between AI’s promise and its practical value, the balance between innovation and accountability, and the implications for jobs, skills and customer trust. Panellists and audience members questioned whether faster output means better outcomes, where human judgement must remain central and how businesses can encourage experimentation while managing risk.
Fintech Product Consultant Jas Shah said: “The perception of how much AI is transforming financial institutions is far from the reality. I think people are talking more about what they’re
doing with AI than actually doing it. The human element is still very important: understanding the processes, understanding the value your company offers and feeding that into a process AI can use to create value.”
The conversation also explored the tension between encouraging experimentation and controlling “shadow AI”, where employees use tools outside approved systems. Contributors called for clear, regularly reviewed policies, effective tools and a culture where employees can learn without fear of failure. They also questioned whether restrictive policies push experimentation out of sight, increasing risks around confidential data and oversight.
Founder and Chair of FINTECH Circle Susanne Chishti said: “It’s a fine balance. You want everybody to use AI as much as possible, but within guardrails, especially in a regulated financial services company. Having humans in control is very important but they can become the bottleneck. As AI enabled work is faster to produce, it creates more work to check it. Working with AI is powerful and fun, but it doesn’t necessarily give you the free time you initially expected as you find new AI applications which you want to pursue to get things done.”
The evening highlighted the continuing value of distinctive expertise, personal relationships and face-to-face discussion. Contributors argued that credibility and trust will become more valuable as AI makes content and other outputs easier to produce, placing greater importance on original perspectives, strong networks and the exchange of ideas in person.
The Started Advisory Board brings together founders, investors, operators and industry commentators to inform Started PR’s work and give clients access to expertise and relationships across financial services. Its members are David M. Brear, Jason Mikula, Sarah Kocianski, David Savage, Jas Shah, Jason Williams, Monica Millares, Raf De Kimpe, Susanne Chishti and Katie Ramsey.
Kimberley Waldron, Chair of the Started Advisory Board and Managing Director of Started PR, said: “Our Advisory Board and wider network brought real experience and challenge to this important industry debate. As our panel discussed, AI is creating huge opportunities, but human judgement, accountability and trust remain essential. Thank you to Checkout.com for hosting a candid conversation about what financial services needs to get right.”
Image provided by StartedPR
