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Big US banks block outside AI agents: JPMorgan and Schwab

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AT A GLANCE

JPMorgan and Charles Schwab have said they will not allow outside AI agents to log in to accounts with customers’ credentials.

Photo of JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters building in New York
Wobbanight · CC0
In this article

What happened?

At the 13 October earnings presentation, Jamie Dimon (JPMorgan) said the bank would not let just any outside agent in, because it is “too risky for customers and for JPMorgan”. Rick Wurster (Schwab) said on the 15th that the firm blocks unauthorised agents that try to log in on customers’ behalf.

What is blocked?

Outside agents that access accounts with the customer’s credentials or through browser automation are blocked. At Schwab, customers can use ChatGPT and other models for stock trades, but not to move money; the bank wants to make its assistant Charley the entry point. JPMorgan accepts read-only data sharing authorised by the customer.

Why?

The reasons given are security and liability: an outside agent acts outside the bank’s control, and responsibility if something goes wrong is unclear. An “AI agent” does not just answer: it carries out actions on the user’s behalf.

To keep in mind

JPMorgan’s remarks come from press reports, including CNBC. These are statements made at earnings presentations; the attitude of other banks is not verified by this article’s sources.

LANGUAGE NOTES

Learn the grammar

Explained in English

French grammar

Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.

01The present indicative
Structure

est / sont + attribute (noun, adjective, prepositional phrase)

In the article
Les raisons avancées sont la sécurité et la responsabilité : un agent extérieur agit hors du contrôle de la banque, et la responsabilité en cas de problème est floue.
Key points

Être in the present is est for a singular subject and sont for a plural one. It describes nature, state or place (“is”, “is located”). If what follows (the attribute) is a noun, adjective or prepositional phrase, it is not a passive. If a past participle follows, it is a passive (est annoncé). Headlines and summaries often use the present to describe the current situation.

02The passé composé
Structure

present of avoir + past participle

In the article
JPMorgan et Charles Schwab ont indiqué qu’ils n’autoriseraient pas des agents d’IA extérieurs à se connecter aux comptes avec les identifiants des clients.
Key points

The passé composé is the most common past tense, used for “did” and “has done” — actions completed in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir (a / ont…) in the present + a past participle. Past participles of -er verbs end in -é (annoncer → annoncé); learn the irregular ones (faire → fait, prendre → pris, voir → vu). In the negative, ne … pas wraps the auxiliary (n’a pas annoncé). In the news it reports facts that have already happened, such as “announced” or “voted”.

03The present conditional
Structure

stem (infinitive) + -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient

In the article
Lors de la présentation des résultats du 13 octobre, Jamie Dimon (JPMorgan) a dit que la banque ne laisserait pas n’importe quel agent extérieur entrer, car c’est « trop risqué pour les clients et pour JPMorgan ».
Key points

The conditional expresses possibility, supposition, unconfirmed information and polite requests (“would”, “might”). It uses the same stem as the future and the same endings as the imparfait (-ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient): pouvoir → il pourrait. In the news it is used to avoid asserting, as in “is reported to…” or “there is a possibility…”.

04The passive voice in the present
Structure

être (est / sont) + past participle (+ par / de)

In the article
Qu’est-ce qui est bloqué ?
Key points

The passive means “is done” or “is being done”. It is formed with être + past participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number (la mesure est adoptée / les mesures sont adoptées). The agent is introduced by par (or de). In the news it is common when the event, rather than the actor, is the focus (est prévu / est annoncé / est connu).

05Pronominal verbs
Structure

se / s’ + verb

In the article
Il s’agit de déclarations lors des présentations de résultats ; l’attitude des autres banques n’est pas vérifiée par les sources de cet article.
Key points

A pronominal verb is used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) before the verb. It can mean “do to oneself”, “be done” or “do to each other”. In the news, se traduire (to result in), se tenir (to take place), s’agir de (to be a matter of) and se diffuser (to spread) are frequent. The pronoun changes with the subject (il se tient / ils se tiennent / je me souviens).

06Negation and its scope
Structure

ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus

In the article
JPMorgan et Charles Schwab ont indiqué qu’ils n’autoriseraient pas des agents d’IA extérieurs à se connecter aux comptes avec les identifiants des clients.
Key points

Normally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.

07Pouvoir: ability and possibility
Structure

peut / peuvent / pourrait + infinitive

In the article
Chez Schwab, les clients peuvent utiliser ChatGPT et d’autres modèles pour des transactions boursières, mais pas pour déplacer de l’argent ; la banque veut faire de son assistant Charley le point d’entrée.
Key points

Put a base-form verb after pouvoir. Peut means “can” or “may”; the conditional pourrait gives a more reserved possibility, “might”. It does not necessarily mean implementation is settled.

08Purpose with pour
Structure

pour + infinitive

In the article
Chez Schwab, les clients peuvent utiliser ChatGPT et d’autres modèles pour des transactions boursières, mais pas pour déplacer de l’argent ; la banque veut faire de son assistant Charley le point d’entrée.
Key points

This is the purpose, “in order to…”. Put the base form of a verb after pour. The purpose stated here is separate from whether the effect was actually achieved.

09The construction il s’agit de
Structure

il s’agit de + noun / infinitive

In the article
Il s’agit de déclarations lors des présentations de résultats ; l’attitude des autres banques n’est pas vérifiée par les sources de cet article.
Key points

It explains what something is about: “it is a matter of…”. The il is not a particular man but a formal subject of this construction. The negative il ne s’agit pas de means “this is not about…”.

10The subject relative pronoun qui
Structure

noun + qui + verb

In the article
Rick Wurster (Schwab) a indiqué le 15 que la société bloque les agents non autorisés qui tentent de se connecter à la place des clients.
Key points

Qui continues a description of the person or thing just mentioned (“the one that does…”). Because qui is itself the subject of the next verb, do not repeat the subject. The verb agrees with the noun qui refers to.

Explained in English

Japanese grammar

Understand the structure and usage from the text.

01Giving examples with など
Structure

noun / expression + など

In the article
シュワブでは、顧客はChatGPTなどを株の取引に使えますが、お金の移動は認められません。
Key points

“暴言など” gives “abusive language” as one example. It is not necessarily a closed list of only the things named. It also helps when reading the scope of a news story.

02The polite past ました
Structure

verb stem (連用形) + ました

In the article
ほかの会社のAIが、顧客のログイン情報を使って口座に入ることを、JPモルガンとシュワブが認めない方針を示しました。
Key points

In “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.

03Quoting with と: content and report
Structure

plain-form sentence + と + verbe de parole (報じる, 説明する…)

In the article
JPモルガンのジェイミー・ダイモン会長は、13日の決算説明会で、外部のAIエージェントを無条件には受け入れない、顧客にも銀行にも危険が大きすぎる、と述べました。
Key points

と takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.

04Treating a clause like a noun with こと
Structure

plain-form sentence + こと + particle

In the article
ほかの会社のAIが、顧客のログイン情報を使って口座に入ることを、JPモルガンとシュワブが認めない方針を示しました。
Key points

“〜すること” treats an action or content like a noun. The particle after it (が・を・は…) shows its role in the sentence. “ことができる” is a fixed combination meaning “can”.

05Possibility in Japanese: できる・られる
Structure

verb potential form / 〜ことができる

In the article
外部のAIは、銀行が管理できない場所で動き、問題が起きたときの責任がはっきりしません。
Key points

できる is the basic verb for ability. The potential form of 受ける is 受けられる. The same られる can also be passive or honorific, so decide from the meaning of the sentence.

06Linking actions with the て-form
Structure

verb て-form + next expression

In the article
シュワブのリック・ワースター社長も、15日の決算説明会で、顧客に代わってログインしようとする許可のないエージェントを遮断していると話しました。
Key points

The て-form links actions in a series, in order or as a reason. In “確認して、出発する” the relation is judged from the content. In “〜ている” it can show an action in progress or a continuing state.

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