The Accountability Gap Quietly Killing AI ROI in Financial Services
Praveen Kumar
Despite increasing investments, most AI programs in financial services fail to deliver expected ROI within their projected timelines. The root cause is rarely the technology itself; rather, it is a critical governance failure known as the “accountability gap”. Data teams are now deeply embedded in AI-driven operational decisions, yet they lack the executive authority to govern the underlying data foundation. Going beyond just identifying the problem, in this article, Praveen Kumar, Sr. Director, Data & AI, offers a highly specific, structural blueprint for financial services leaders to fix their AI data environments. As agentic AI automates legacy data shortcuts into scalable risks, and strict regulatory deadlines like the EU AI Act approach, this gap becomes a severe liability. To succeed, banking leadership must prioritize decision-grade data products, semantic clarity, and a rigorously enforced governance operating model.