Why AI is an operating model shift—Not a technology upgrade
Artificial intelligence isn’t arriving gently in financial services. It’s colliding with an industry defined by scale, trust, and real‑time decision‑making, where speed, security, and reliability are non‑negotiable.
For Fiserv, that reality is existential.
The company quietly powers much of the world’s financial infrastructure, touching virtually every U.S. household, supporting thousands of banks and millions of merchants globally, and processing transactions at massive velocity. At that scale, AI isn’t an experiment. It’s an operating model shift.
During Microsoft’s AI Tour in New York, Tom Mikluch, Head of AI and Technology Strategy at Fiserv, shared how the company is embedding AI across its workforce, platforms, and products, redefining how financial services organizations operate in an AI‑first era.
When scale makes AI unavoidable
Fiserv’s footprint creates a unique mandate. With enormous transaction volume and deeply sensitive financial data flowing through its platforms, every decision carries weight.
That scale is precisely why AI became unavoidable.
Rather than treating AI as a discrete deployment, Fiserv views it as a force multiplier, one that can drive operational efficiency and unlock new products and services for clients. The opportunity isn’t just to move faster internally, but to translate those gains into better outcomes for banks, merchants, and consumers.
“We view AI as an operating model shift. It’s not a deployment of software.”
— Tom Mikluch, Head of AI and Technology Strategy, Fiserv
Embedding AI where work actually happens
A defining principle in Fiserv’s approach is where AI shows up.
AI tools are most powerful when they’re embedded directly into the experiences employees already use—not introduced as standalone systems people have to find, learn, and justify.
That philosophy shaped Fiserv’s progression from Azure‑based modernization to broad adoption of Microsoft 365 Copilot, bringing AI into everyday workflows across the organization. From drafting materials to synthesizing information and accelerating decision‑making, AI became part of the flow of work—not a side channel.
As adoption matured, Fiserv began extending beyond insight into action—exploring agentic AI to orchestrate workflows that previously required heavy manual effort across multiple systems, while keeping humans firmly in the loop.
Agents that augment human ambition
Fiserv’s interest in AI agents isn’t about removing people from the loop. It’s about expanding what people can do.
Agents are being explored to streamline complex, cross‑platform processes—such as dispute resolution—where data lives in many systems and speed matters. By handling orchestration and retrieval, agents free employees to focus on judgment, exceptions, and innovation.
“Agents are a way to augment human ambition—not replace humans.”
— Tom Mikluch
This human‑in‑the‑loop mindset is especially critical in financial services, where edge cases, fraud signals, and customer trust demand oversight and accountability.
Turning internal capability into customer value
Fiserv sits at the intersection of banking and commerce—and its clients expect the company to be an innovation engine.
That’s why internal AI breakthroughs don’t stay internal.
Capabilities developed to improve developer productivity, accelerate service and support, or streamline operations are deliberately shaped into client‑facing solutions. AI is helping contain support inquiries through self‑service, improving response times, and accelerating product development cycles—reducing the distance between idea and execution.
As Mikluch explains, clients increasingly want to understand not just what AI can do, but how Fiserv is using it responsibly to run its own operations better—and what that means for them.
Responsible AI at financial‑grade scale
With enormous reach comes enormous responsibility.
Data privacy, security, and governance are foundational to Fiserv’s AI strategy. The company applies the same rigor to AI systems as it does to any production‑grade financial platform—ensuring strict access controls, auditability, and safeguards against bias.
This disciplined approach allows Fiserv to move forward with confidence, even as AI capabilities evolve rapidly.
From productivity to creativity
One of the most telling signals of success, according to Mikluch, isn’t just efficiency metrics—it’s how people feel.
As AI tools eliminate busywork, employees gain time for more creative, strategic, and innovative thinking. AI becomes a partner for exploration—helping surface blind spots, test ideas, and accelerate learning.
“These tools free people up from busy work so they can do more creative and innovative work.”
— Tom Mikluch
The future: agentic commerce and closed‑loop experiences
Looking ahead, Fiserv sees AI reshaping not just operations, but commerce itself.
As consumers increasingly use conversational AI to discover products, the next evolution is clear: closing the loop from discovery to intent to transaction. Fiserv is investing in agentic commerce to enable seamless, AI‑driven purchasing experiences, reimagining how payments and financial services intersect with everyday decision‑making.
An operating model for the AI era
Fiserv’s story underscores a larger truth for enterprise leaders:
AI transformation isn’t about adopting tools. It’s about rethinking how work gets done—at scale, with trust, and with people at the center.
Fiserv’s approach reflects what it takes to operate on the AI frontier—where intelligence is embedded into everyday workflows, agents augment human judgment, and trust is designed into the system from the start.
By embedding AI into daily workflows, exploring agents to orchestrate complexity, and holding itself to the highest standards of responsibility, Fiserv is defining what AI‑first leadership looks like in financial services.
Explore more real‑world AI leadership stories
- Watch additional conversations with business leaders navigating AI transformation
- Discover how organizations are using Microsoft to turn AI ambition into measurable impact.
This thought‑leadership piece is part of Microsoft in Business coverage from AI Tour New York, highlighting how leaders like Tom Mikluch are translating AI strategy into real‑world execution at scale.
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