At the 2026 APEC CEO Summit China Forum, held in Beijing on June 21st, the President of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Liu Jun, shared his insights. He emphasized that as artificial intelligence (AI) permeates various industries, its impact on the financial sector will be revolutionary. Financial institutions must be thoroughly prepared for the advent of the AI era.
Liu Jun discussed ICBC's practical approach to AI in three key areas. First, technology must be application-oriented; without practical application, the true benefits of technology cannot be realized. Second, when financial institutions, especially those of global systemic importance, adopt AI, security must be a paramount concern. Third, deploying AI requires comprehensive planning for human resource alignment and development.
He revealed that ICBC's next step involves optimizing its extensive workforce, aiming to achieve a deep integration of financial, data, and human capital on top of its technological foundation.
Liu Jun expressed his belief that financial institutions are built upon a foundation of robust credit. He is confident that consumers will be willing to use AI products developed by ICBC. "If the same AI product carried the ICBC logo," he noted, "I estimate people's doubts would decrease exponentially."