What AI means for your business and your customers

AI is moving faster than many of us fully understand. You'll have your own views on what it means for your business, but what's useful is knowing what the data is telling us about the market you work in.

The FSC's 2026 AI Sector Report puts some clear numbers on where New Zealanders actually stand. As mentioned before, only 34% of Kiwis are willing to trust AI which is well below the global average of 49%. Inside financial services, it's pretty even: 38% comfortable with AI in operations, 36% not.

That split means you can't assume a customer is comfortable with how their data or application is being handled. They still need you to explain the 'why' and give them the confidence to move forward.

Customers are telling us they’re comfortable with AI as a tool for things like answering questions, flagging fraud, summarising information. But AI as a decision-maker affecting their financial lives is a different story. Only 35% are comfortable with automated financial decision-making, and life insurance Is very much a conversation they prefer to have with a human.

Fraud is the one clear exception. 57% of Kiwis actively want AI catching scams on their behalf and it's easy to see why. Deepfakes can already defeat traditional identity checks, and AI-generated fraud operates at a scale no human team can keep up with. This is one area where customers aren't just comfortable with AI they're expecting it. If you didn’t read it last month here is the link to our article on keeping your data safe.

It's also worth knowing that more than half of New Zealanders under 39 use AI tools every week. Their expectations around speed and responsiveness are higher than they've ever been. That doesn't mean they want an algorithm deciding their insurance cover, but their patience for slow  processes is wearing thin. AI is shaping the expectations of the people walking through your door and knowing that puts you in a much stronger position to have those conversations when they come up.

The good news is that the fundamentals haven't changed. Customers still want a human providing the information they need to make the right call on decisions that matter. Trust in AI grows when it enhances human capability and erodes when it replaces common sense and the practical realities. That's your edge, and it's not going anywhere.

See the full FSC report.