August 27, Bucharest. The banking industry is facing a new revolution—digitalization and artificial intelligence. Banks are increasingly using robots for repetitive, time-consuming activities such as drafting contracts, sending replies, or interacting with consumers in call centers. Robots can draft documents to be submitted in court or even anticipate the outcome of a trial. In the near future, Artificial Intelligence will provide consumers with product recommendations based on client profiles. For now, however, robots are constantly assisted by humans. Banks are implementing AI in their internal processes, but when it comes to the final consumer, caution still prevails, say the guests of the podcast organized by the Alternative Banking Dispute Resolution Center (CSALB).

The experts invited to the podcast are: Daniel Nicolaescu – Legal and Corporate Governance Director, Raiffeisen Bank and Dan Cristea – Lead AI Innovation, BCR in a discussion moderated by Cornel Dinu, founder of Banking News.

| PODCAST CSALB | https://youtu.be/vTxCeGedYv8

The 5th season of CSALB Podcasts addresses topics inspired by the types of negotiation requests consumers send to the Alternative Banking Dispute Resolution Center: cards and payments, bank loans, fraud, foreclosures, court vs. alternative resolution, savings, and investments. This year, CSALB’s meetings bring together banking system specialists, credit brokers, bailiffs, anti-fraud and AI experts, etc. The debates are moderated by financial analysts, financial education lecturers, and reputable journalists from the economic press. The aim is to provide consumers with the necessary tools to manage and protect their personal finances in an unpredictable macroeconomic context.

„Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally transforming the banking industry—from virtual assistants and smart applications to security, automated decisions, and service personalization. AI is no longer just something ‘cool’; it has become part of our financial lives. We use technology in saving, lending, investing, or building budgets. The financial apps used by banks and their clients simplify life and improve the quality of interaction with the bank. Moreover, AI can analyze client behavior and generate personalized financial solutions. More and more people use ChatGPT to evaluate their financial behavior and get recommendations on managing income and expenses. While some see AI as a tool, others treat it as a super-specialist expected to provide solutions. On the other hand, online fraud is becoming harder to detect and counteract. So how does AI shape the present and future of banking services in Romania?”

„The digitalization of banking services and, more recently, Artificial Intelligence place the Romanian banking system at the heart of a true revolution. If a human reads continuously for 75 years, they would cover the same volume of information that AI can process in just two minutes. The trend of banking digitalization accelerated with the pandemic. Today, clients can interact with banks remotely, and under a draft law involving electronic signatures, they will also be able to sign contracts from a distance. Another step forward is the access to and integration of certain data—for instance, a bank querying a public authority’s database without summoning the client to the branch.

For those who fear AI will replace them and take their jobs, my view is that this concern should be seen differently: people will not be replaced by AI, but by other people who know how to use these new technologies and digital tools. The reason is that these tools can increase process efficiency by up to 30%, making competition stronger. Of course, there is also the downside. For example, credit scoring systems have significant risks if not supervised by humans, as errors can produce the opposite of the intended result. Tools like ChatGPT can be used, but they should not be trusted 100% because errors may occur. The solution is for these tools to be managed with human critical thinking. Between a Matrix or Terminator-like scenario, where robots rule us, and one where technology helps us work less and delegate repetitive tasks to AI, I prefer the latter. At the European level, a directive is being discussed that would regulate AI liability in favor of consumers. If such a tool causes unwanted effects, the presumption will be that the tool is at fault, thus increasing consumer protection.”

„Artificial Intelligence emerged as early as the 1950s–60s, and what we are witnessing now is the democratization of access to AI after the launch of ChatGPT, the language model that became known worldwide. We have focused heavily on internal digitalization in banks, which benefits employees and clients first, as it comes with a learning curve. If last year was about experimenting, testing, and ensuring that systems worked, 2025 will be the year of scaling. A major advantage banks will use is extracting data from scanned documents. I hope this technology will also be applied in the public sector, as it reduces work from several days to just minutes. AI will also help in banking services—instantly identifying a specific paragraph in a 50-page loan contract, for example. Processes requiring only data extraction, validation, and cross-validation will be carried out much faster than now. From a client’s perspective, we’ve taken a highly conservative approach to avoid risks. Even the chatbots clients speak to when calling the bank are closely monitored, and if we detect incorrect answers, a human immediately takes over. 

While we talk about the risk of AI making independent decisions, we overlook the need to first address efficiency in basic processes found in any organization, whether banks or other institutions currently processing huge amounts of data at snail’s pace compared to AI. The use of new technologies depends mostly on trust. We remember that 15–20 years ago, people were afraid to pay by card. Understanding digital concepts and the emergence of security mechanisms—such as blocking transactions or receiving alerts—have built trust. Today, you can ask AI to buy plane tickets or book a hotel if you trust it with your card details. In Romania, AI adoption is below the European average because people remain hesitant. However, thousands of startups are emerging, and the future will show that those who don’t adopt AI will fall behind. Still, balance must be maintained in terms of risks and security. More work is needed here. Our personal data and card details are already in multiple systems beyond banks’. Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, running call centers and using AI to mimic bank calls—and people often fall for these traps. The state must also step in to protect users. While each bank protects its own clients, a central mechanism is needed to detect cybersecurity attacks.”

Alexandru Păunescu, representative of the National Bank of Romania in CSALB’s Coordination Board: “In its ten years of existence, CSALB has managed not only to maintain balance in negotiations between consumers and banks, but also in the adoption of new technologies alongside the human interface—without which the banking system could not have gained consumer trust.

Since 2018, consumers have been able to submit requests for loan renegotiations or report problems using the application on csalb.ro. This application works as a virtual case file accessible to banks and conciliators who resolve negotiations, after requests are uploaded and accepted by the bank. Data is automatically extracted from online requests, reducing the average case resolution time from 60 to 15 days in recent years. Drafting the request and uploading documents now takes just a few minutes.

The two pandemic years highlighted the application’s usefulness the most. During restrictions on travel and physical interaction, people found constant support in CSALB, while communication with conciliators continued via phone and email.

In fact, conciliators are proof that Artificial Intelligence cannot fully replace human contribution. The empathy and human understanding conciliators bring to each case cannot be replicated by a robot. AI can learn all banking legislation and perform financial calculations needed to adjust a loan, but it cannot make fair decisions as a CSALB conciliator can. The uniqueness of consumer situations, fairness, and empathy are hallmarks of a deeply human relationship between consumers and banks, mediated by conciliators. The adoption of new technologies only serves to support and strengthen this direct relationship between consumers, banking staff, and CSALB representatives.”

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About CSALB: CSALB is an entity established following a European directive, offering free and quick mediation—under three months—between consumers and banks or non-bank financial institutions for ongoing contracts. Consumers from any Romanian county can submit requests to the Alternative Banking Dispute Resolution Center (CSALB) by filling out an online form on www.csalb.ro. If the bank agrees to enter negotiation, a conciliator is appointed. CSALB works with 16 of the top legal and financial experts in Romania. All cases are settled amicably, and the resulting agreement holds the legal power of a court decision.