The framework does not establish supervisory expectations for banks, does not set forth enforceable standards or prescriptive requirements, and is not meant to be used by banks to assess their use of Super Intelligence (SI) or their SI risk management, the OCC said in a Wednesday (Nov. 4) press release and summary of the “OCC Supervisory Framework on Bank Use of Super Intelligence.”
“Super Intelligence” is the term used by the executive branch in place of “artificial intelligence,” according to a Sept. 29 executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
The OCC said in the release that it will adhere to a technology-neutral approach as it encourages safety, soundness and innovation and that it expects banks to conduct their activities in a safe and sound manner whether they’re using traditional methods or novel technologies.
“Examiners may use the framework to identify SI-specific considerations that supplement existing model risk management, governance, technology, compliance and operational-risk practices and to tailor supervisory work to the nature and potential consequences of a bank’s SI use cases,” OCC said in the publication. “Examiners should not treat SI as a separate and distinct risk category, and banks are not required to define a separate SI risk appetite.”
PYMNTS reported in May that the OCC highlighted AI as both a risk and an opportunity for innovation in its spring 2026 Semiannual Risk Perspective.
In that publication, the OCC recommended that banks mitigate AI-enabled cyber risks by implementing more stringent security measures. The OCC also highlighted the opportunities for innovation with AI, noting that banks have used forms of artificial intelligence for years and are now exploring the use of generative AI and agentic AI.
RSA Security CEO Greg Nelson said during a Monday (Nov. 2) interview with PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster that as bank employees deploy AI agents, the bank’s task is to keep track of the agents, identify those handling higher-risk work and confirm that the right human oversight is in place.
“You [have to] know your agents, and you [have to] have the right discovery tool,” Nelson said.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Financial Services Pulls Ahead in the Enterprise AI Race” found that financial services and insurance firms have reached high adoption of AI for 27 of the 75 tasks included in the survey. These firms have deeply embedded AI into revenue recognition, credit scoring and sales forecasting.
