{
  "id": 3462146,
  "title": "Splitit CEO Says Payments Firms Must Build for AI, Not Just Use It",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/splitit-ceo-says-payments-firms-must-build-for-ai-not-just-use-it",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-26T08:02:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PYMNTS",
    "slug": "pymnts",
    "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/splitit-ceo-says-payments-firms-must-build-for-ai-not-just-use-it/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Splitit CEO Nandan Sheth emphasizes that artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a mere productivity tool for payments executives but a competitive advantage. In an interview for PYMNTS, Sheth distinguishes between using AI for efficiency improvements and leveraging it to fundamentally reshape market economics. He asserts that while AI enhancing productivity is essential, the real threat arises when a competitor utilizes the technology to eliminate intermediaries and reduce costs within his segment.\n\nSheth contends that the competitive edge may not be tied to the number of AI tools a company possesses but to its willingness to rethink the components of the current payments architecture. He urges executives to focus on actionable signals from AI models, regulatory changes, and new payment methods rather than succumbing to \"paranoia.\" By adopting a disciplined feedback loop of monitoring customer, competitor, and internal data, Sheth advises executives to act promptly on meaningful signals before certainty arrives.\n\nOne of the significant shifts Sheth observes is the potential absorption of payments into commerce, making them less noticeable to consumers. AI could expedite this transition by enabling personalized digital identities and generative AI agents to seamlessly determine the optimal payment method based on a consumer's preferences and the nature of their purchase. As a result, the role of payments in the purchasing process may become increasingly invisible, shifting competitive dynamics towards controlling the intelligence behind payment method selection.\n\nFor payment providers, this evolution implies that merely being present at the point of checkout may no longer suffice. Instead, they must become integral to the algorithms deciding the most suitable payment method, timing, and reason. Thus, the challenge for payments companies lies in optimizing their existing business while simultaneously envisioning a future where portions of traditional payments could become obsolete.",
  "summary": "Watch more: What’s Next in Payments With Splitit’s Nandan Sheth For payments executives, artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming less interesting as a productivity tool than as a competitive weapon. In conversation with PYMNTS for the August edition of the What’s Next in Payments series, “Only the Paranoid Thrive?” Nandan Sheth, CEO of Splitit, drew a sharp distinction […] The post…",
  "key_points": [
    "AI is becoming a competitive advantage, not just a productivity tool for payments firms.",
    "Splitit CEO Nandan Sheth urges firms to rethink payments architecture using AI.",
    "AI could make payments invisible in the purchasing process, shifting competitive dynamics."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}