During a first-quarter earnings call recently, Customers Bank CEO Sam Sidhu pulled off an unusual stunt. Nearly thirty minutes into the briefing, he revealed to analysts that his prepared remarks had actually been delivered by an AI clone of his voice, CNBC reported
“The prepared remarks you heard on my behalf today were delivered by my AI clone, not read by me,” Sidhu said
Sidhu later revealed that that the use of AI-generated voice clone was not just a demonstration but a signal of a broader transformation underway at Customers Bank. The lender, which focuses on startups and small businesses, is increasingly relying on AI to automate core functions and improve efficiency.
New partnership with OpenAI announced:
Reportedly, the $25.9 billion asset lender has inked a multiyear partnership with OpenAI in which the AI startup will embed engineers within the bank to help automate lending, client onboarding, and payments.
The deal is reportedly part of Sidhu's effort to get ahead of other banks in the industry's race to transform itself using AI agents as a new digital workforce. The strategy is said to be hinging on automating core banking processes like slashing loan timeline from weeks to days and scaling growth without adding staff at the same speed.
Sidhu says that the project will improve the bank's efficiency ratio from around 49% to the low 40s while also boosting the bank's returns from next year.
He told CNBC that the relationship will be symbiotic. By gaining access to real-world use cases inside a regulated financial institution, the two companies will co-create enterprise AI solutions that OpenAI could potentially sell to other banks in the future.
Sidhu said that the “goal here is end-to-end, automated agentic led workflow” for for lending, deposits and payments.
Meanwhile, OpenAI Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser told CNBC that the company was proud to help Customers Bank “as they build a more intelligent operating model that empowers employees, strengthens client service, and sets a new standard for regional banking,”
AI agents to act as digital workforce:
The bank plans to roll out these AI agents across its lending, deposits, and payment sectors over the next six to 12 months. These tools are said to function as always-on digital workers, capable of handling tasks continuously.
If successful, the timeline for closing a commercial loan—including underwriting, document collection, and legal negotiations—will collapse from up to 45 days down to roughly seven days. Similarly, opening accounts for complex commercial clients is expected to drop from over a day to under 20 minutes using conversational AI and automated document gathering.
“When you have an autonomous agent, you’re essentially creating a digital worker … and they can work around the clock,” Sidhu told the publication
The bank is also already using AI to write half of its software code, a move that has saved 28,000 hours of work so far, effectively offsetting the need to hire about 15 full-time employees.
“This is an opportunity for us to potentially slow that hiring … and do more revenue per employee,” Sidhu said
