The Last 5%: When AI Moves from Assistance to Autonomy

Most firms have already automated much of the routine, rules-based work across securities Operations. The real operational cost and complexity often live in what’s left —that stubborn last 5% of exceptions that still require human intervention. In this episode of the FTF Exchange Podcast, Maureen Lowe sits down with Smartstream CEO Akber Jaffer to talk about what happens when AI begins tackling those harder-to-resolve exceptions and moves from assisting humans to acting autonomously across operational workflows. They get into how that shift raises a whole new set of questions about what Smart Agents can do within an operational environment, and how firms determine which decisions and actions they are prepared to hand over to AI. This isn’t AI running wild. Firms still determine the parameters, authority levels and points at which a human steps back in. Jaffer also shares his early days as CEO of a nearly 40-year-old financial technology provider and why his first priority wasn’t to come in and do the typical CEO overhaul. He started by getting closer to clients, understanding where their operational needs were changing and identifying where Smartstream itself needed to move faster. What did he learn from those conversations — and where does he think the human fits as AI takes on more of the work? Listen to the episode to find out. About our guest: Akber Jaffer is CEO of Smartstream whose Smart Agents were voted Best A.I. Solution via the 2026 FTF News Technology Innovation Awards. Topics covered include: Agentic AI vs. autonomous AI and where Smart Agents fit Determining how much authority to give an AI agent Tackling the stubborn last 5% of reconciliation exceptions Measuring AI ROI beyond headcount reduction Capturing institutional knowledge embedded within Operations teams Governance, guardrails and the role of humans in increasingly autonomous operations Watch more from FTF at Sibos Miami: FTF YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=939GzvgSLvA&list=PLPmgAoK7AwM4&index=12 FTF Sibos Miami 2026 coverage: https://www.ftfnews.com/category/sibos-2026/ More FTF Exchange Podcast: FTFNews.com: https://www.ftfnews.com/category/ftf-media-content-channels/podcast/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ftf-exchange-podcast/id1562730473 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IOk2kkNMLsgbpMrCftapF?si=4abaf9a7077c409f Follow FTF: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-technologies-forum YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FTFNews06 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ftf_news/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinancialTechnologiesForum