# BNY (Bank of New York Mellon): Responsible AI Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bny-mellon/responsible-ai Last updated: Oct 16, 2026 *Part of the [BNY (Bank of New York Mellon) AI strategy profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bny-mellon).* ## How does BNY govern AI responsibly? BNY has published a Commitment to the Responsible, Ethical Use of Data and AI (first in 2024) that rests on five principles: accountability and responsibility; transparency and explainability; privacy and security; fairness and accuracy; and lawful and ethical use. It says the approach is informed by NIST's AI Risk Management Framework and its 'longstanding' membership of the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Veritas consortium. AI governance draws on Legal, Privacy, Responsible AI, Data Governance, Information Security, Resiliency, Risk and Compliance across the AI lifecycle. In practice an agent passes a 16-step path of review boards, compliance gates and model-risk evaluations, with a data use review board, an AI release board and an Enterprise AI Council, and BNY says all its AI tools pass this governance before going live. The 2025 10-K places AI use cases, including large language models, inside model risk management and a cross-functional AI risk framework; the Q2 2026 10-Q says AI has enhanced threat actors' ability to find unknown vulnerabilities. CEO Robin Vince, an OpenAI board member, said in September 2026 that alignment and chain-of-thought monitoring must keep pace with model capability. ([BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence/data-ai-ethical-commitment.html), [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/insights/unlocking-the-ai-growth-multiplier.html), [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence.html), [Microsoft WorkLab](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/the-making-of-a-frontier-firm-how-ai-is-redesigning-work-at-bny), [OpenAI](https://openai.com/index/bny/), [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/insights/ai-fund-operations.html), [BNY (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1390777/000139077726000033/bk-20251231_d2.htm), [BNY (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1390777/000139077726000086/bk-20260630.htm), [Northeastern Global News](https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/09/16/bny-ceo-robin-vince-ai-finance)) ## What are BNY's responsible AI principles? From BNY's Commitment to the Responsible, Ethical Use of Data and AI. | Principle | What BNY commits to | Sources | | --- | --- | --- | | Accountability and responsibility | Governance and accountability structures including approval processes, risk management and model review; a lifecycle approach from research through monitoring; employee training | [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence/data-ai-ethical-commitment.html) | | Transparency and explainability | Explain in plain language how information is used; operate AI with appropriate human oversight so decisions are 'explainable and justifiable' | [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence/data-ai-ethical-commitment.html) | | Privacy and security | 'Privacy and security by design'; process personal information only where authorized; avoid new vulnerabilities from untested AI security tools | [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence/data-ai-ethical-commitment.html) | | Fairness and accuracy | Identify and mitigate unfair biases across data and AI lifecycles; operate models accurate for their intended purpose | [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence/data-ai-ethical-commitment.html) | | Lawful and ethical | Comply with laws, regulations and the data ethics policy, taking account of reputational risk; align AI with BNY's strategy, principles and code of conduct | [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence/data-ai-ethical-commitment.html) | | External anchors | NIST AI Risk Management Framework; membership of MAS's Veritas consortium; the commitment sits at the top of BNY's wider Data Ethics framework | [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence/data-ai-ethical-commitment.html) | ## How does BNY review and supervise AI before and after it goes live? | Mechanism | What it does | Source context | Sources | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Multidisciplinary governance | Legal, Privacy, Responsible AI, Data Governance, Information Security, Resiliency, Risk and Compliance operate governance across the AI lifecycle | BNY AI page | [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence.html) | | 16-step review path | Review boards, compliance gates and model-risk evaluations from idea to working agent | Microsoft WorkLab; PYMNTS | [Microsoft WorkLab](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/the-making-of-a-frontier-firm-how-ai-is-redesigning-work-at-bny), [PYMNTS](https://pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/banks-put-ai-agents-through-performance-reviews) | | Boards and councils | Data use review board, AI release board and Enterprise AI Council; the deputy general counsel calls governance 'an enabler' | OpenAI case study | [OpenAI](https://openai.com/index/bny/) | | Pre-launch gate | 'All BNY AI tools pass through a rigorous governance process before going live' | BNY fund operations insight | [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/insights/ai-fund-operations.html) | | Human supervision of agents | Every digital employee has a human manager; drafts are reviewed before they go out | PYMNTS; Fortune | [PYMNTS](https://pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/banks-put-ai-agents-through-performance-reviews), [Fortune](https://fortune.com/2026/08/04/your-ai-agent-needs-a-boss-is-a-teammate/) | | Model risk management | Model inventory and independent validation extended to AI use cases including LLMs, within a cross-functional AI risk framework | 2025 10-K | [BNY (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1390777/000139077726000033/bk-20251231_d2.htm) | | Sensitive data | Avoids training models on personal information; where it does, uses an encrypted 'walled garden' with red-team testing | Fortune | [Fortune](https://fortune.com/2025/06/26/ai-banking-bny-eliza-personal-information/) | | Cyber risk disclosure | AI has enhanced threat actors' capability to identify and exploit previously unidentified vulnerabilities | Q2 2026 10-Q | [BNY (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1390777/000139077726000086/bk-20260630.htm) | ## What has BNY's leadership said publicly about AI safety? Robin Vince told Northeastern University in September 2026 that model capability has advanced faster than alignment training and chain-of-thought monitoring: 'What we don't want is models being great, unaligned with our values, and not telling us what they're doing.' He also said the AI industry 'has done a very poor job' of advocating for the technology's benefits and how safety is addressed. ([Northeastern Global News](https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/09/16/bny-ceo-robin-vince-ai-finance)) Russell's stated rule for engineering is that 'Resiliency and cybersecurity are job one', and the CFO said in January 2026 that BNY still spends more on cyber resiliency than on AI. In April 2026 BNY gained early access to OpenAI's GPT-5.4-Cyber and Anthropic's Mythos for defensive testing. ([Forbes](https://forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2026/01/09/engineering-the-backbone-of-global-markets-at-bny), [The Motley Fool (Yahoo Finance)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bny-mellon-bk-q4-2025-233422534.html), [Axios](https://axios.com/2026/04/16/scoop-bny-openai-gpt-cyber)) What is not public: an external audit of BNY's AI governance, the number of AI use cases rejected by its review boards, or a named chief responsible-AI officer. ([BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence.html), [BNY](https://www.bny.com/corporate/global/en/about-us/technology-innovation/artificial-intelligence/data-ai-ethical-commitment.html)) ## What does the BNY profile record on this topic? | Date | Move | Detail | Sources | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jul 31, 2026 | Q2 10-Q: AI enhances cyber threats | The quarterly report says recent advancements in artificial intelligence have enhanced threat actors' capability to identify and potentially exploit previously unidentified cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and lists AI among the forward-looking topics alongside the transition to a platforms operating model. | [BNY (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1390777/000139077726000086/bk-20260630.htm) | | Apr 16, 2026 | Early access to OpenAI and Anthropic cyber models | Axios reports BNY is among the firms testing GPT-5.4-Cyber and Anthropic's Mythos after Treasury Secretary Bessent and Fed Chair Powell convened bank CEOs on AI-enabled attack risk; Vince says the labs want real-world feedback. | [Axios](https://axios.com/2026/04/16/scoop-bny-openai-gpt-cyber) | | Feb 25, 2026 | 10-K: AI inside model risk management | Model risk management covers AI use cases including large language models and sits within a cross-functional AI risk framework; a dedicated risk factor covers the development and use of AI. | [BNY (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1390777/000139077726000033/bk-20251231_d2.htm) | | Jan 13, 2026 | FY2025 scorecard: 99% of staff on Eliza, 160 solutions, 134 digital employees | The fourth-quarter deck adds more than 60 AI-related patent applications; on the call the CFO says BNY still spends more on cyber resiliency than on AI. | [BNY (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1390777/000139077726000004/ex993_quarterlyupdatepre.htm), [The Motley Fool (Yahoo Finance)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bny-mellon-bk-q4-2025-233422534.html) | ## Common questions ### Does BNY have published AI principles? Yes. BNY's Commitment to the Responsible, Ethical Use of Data and AI, first published in 2024, sets five principles: accountability and responsibility, transparency and explainability, privacy and security, fairness and accuracy, and lawful and ethical use. It cites NIST's AI Risk Management Framework and the MAS Veritas consortium as influences. ### How does BNY approve an AI agent? According to Microsoft's May 2026 profile, an agent passes 16 steps of review boards, compliance gates and model-risk evaluations before it works. OpenAI's case study names a data use review board, an AI release board and an Enterprise AI Council, and BNY says all AI tools pass its governance process before going live. ### What does BNY's 10-K say about AI risk? The 2025 Form 10-K says model risk management, including an active model inventory and independent validation, covers AI use cases including large language models within a cross-functional AI risk framework, and includes a risk factor on the development and use of AI. The Q2 2026 10-Q adds that AI has enhanced cyber threat actors' capabilities. ### What is BNY's position on AI safety? CEO Robin Vince, who sits on OpenAI's boards, said in September 2026 that model capability, alignment and chain-of-thought monitoring should advance roughly in lockstep, and that 'what we don't want is models being great, unaligned with our values, and not telling us what they're doing'. ## Deeper on BNY - [What is BNY's AI strategy and future technology vision?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bny-mellon/ai-strategy) - [What AI research, patents and partnerships does BNY have?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bny-mellon/ai-research-patents-partnerships) - [How is AI changing BNY's workforce, and what are its 'digital employees'?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bny-mellon/ai-workforce) --- Canonical page: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/bny-mellon/responsible-ai Part of [BankingNewsAI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/) — a free daily brief on AI in banking, an AI regulation tracker (42 authorities, 243 documents) and AI-strategy profiles of the 120 largest US banks. 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