Artificial intelligence may be dominating conference agendas and vendor pitches, but for many credit union leaders, the technology still feels deeply personal, emotional and uncertain.
That was the tone of Thursday's "Inside the PRO Studio" hosted by Sr. Director of Content Experience and Strategy at CU Times, Michael Ogden, who framed the live webcast as an "AI therapy session" for the industry. Joining him was the Austin, Texas-based University Federal Credit Union (UFCU) President/CEO Michael Crowl, whose $4.2 billion institution has been aggressively exploring AI strategies while trying to preserve the cooperative philosophy at the heart of credit unions.
Crowl said his perspective on AI changed significantly after attending an international CEO gathering last year where AI discussions dominated conversations across industries.
"I go to the meeting, and then I recognize we're not moving fast enough," Crowl said during the discussion, noting that AI represents "a structural shift in how we operate, make decisions and compete."
At UFCU, Crowl said current AI efforts are focused largely on internal productivity, data analytics and improving member-service workflows. He described AI as a tool that can help remove friction from operations while allowing employees to spend more time on meaningful member interactions.
Still, he acknowledged growing concerns around cybersecurity, deepfakes, fraud and maintaining member trust as AI capabilities expand.
To prepare for broader adoption, UFCU recently hired a head of data and AI to oversee strategy and governance across the organization. Crowl also said executives are participating in AI-focused training developed with a local university.
Despite the uncertainty, Crowl argued that AI should strengthen, not replace, the "people helping people" philosophy credit unions were founded upon.
"Done right, it can actually make us even more human at scale," he said.
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