{
  "id": 9693247,
  "title": "Beyond basic chatbots: How agentic AI Is transforming South African finance and security",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/beyond-basic-chatbots-how-agentic-ai-is-transforming-south-african",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-25T03:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/technology/software-and-internet/2026-09-25-beyond-basic-chatbots-how-agentic-ai-is-transforming-south-african-finance-and-security/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Artificial intelligence has traditionally been utilized for tasks like drafting emails or answering straightforward questions. However, the emerging concept of agentic AI represents a significant leap forward. Agentic AI refers to systems capable of making consequential decisions independently, surpassing the capabilities of basic AI tools. At a recent roundtable in South Africa, experts discussed how this technology is reshaping financial and security sectors. Mick Amelishko, AI Advocate at Sumsub, explained that the pivotal shift lies in granting AI \"agency\"—the ability to access the internet, interact with digital platforms, and execute actions autonomously. This move from AI as a mere assistant to a full decision-maker has profound implications. While society has long assumed humans control transactions, agentic AI challenges this paradigm. The potential for AI to independently manage investments, conduct business operations, or even access bank accounts raises concerns about autonomy and security. Notably, South Africa's banking landscape is still in the early stages of adopting these advanced AI systems. Major enterprises like Discovery Bank are beginning to explore this territory, but widespread application remains rare compared to global leaders like China. A key issue is accountability—if an AI system makes a mistake leading to fraud, who is responsible? The consensus is that AI cannot be legally held accountable; instead, blame must fall on the human operator. Despite these challenges, data from Sumsub indicates a concerning trend: while global identity fraud rates have slightly decreased, sophisticated AI-facilitated fraud has surged by 180% year-over-year. As agentic AI becomes integral to South Africa's financial infrastructure, striking a balance between convenience and robust oversight will be crucial to preserving trust and security.",
  "summary": "As AI evolves from simple assistants to autonomous agents making complex real-world decisions, South African financial institutions face both massive operational opportunities and sophisticated new fraud threats.",
  "key_points": [],
  "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."
}