National Australia Bank (NAB) is preparing to test the security and operational controls of an agentic AI platform, marking the first time the bank has publicly outlined this approach. The plan involves allowing AI agents to interact with staff and internal systems on behalf of customers. Patrick Wright, group executive for technology and enterprise operations, stated that the bank aims to conduct pilots and experiments over the next year, emphasizing the importance of security and safe implementation. Other major Australian lenders are also advancing AI adoption, with Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) having partnered with OpenAI last year, and Westpac reportedly using AI bots for mortgage and credit card applications, saving significant banker hours.