[Mid-Year Status of AI Deployment in the Banking Industry: Strategic Advancements in Full Swing, Cautious Exploration in Practical Implementation] As we enter mid-2026, a review of the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) deployment in the banking industry reveals a landscape where strategic advancements are progressing at full speed, while practical implementation remains a cautious exploration. On one hand, commercial banks are making bold moves to integrate AI technology into frontline operations and products. From the emergence of various self-developed intelligent agents to the launch of credit cards tied to computational power "tokens" as rights, these developments signify that large-scale model applications have moved beyond the conceptual hype phase and entered a period of substantial, scalable implementation. On the other hand, challenges persist, such as hallucination issues triggered by uneven underlying data quality and the "data quagmire" caused by the overlap of legacy and new systems. These factors highlight that the domestic banking industry's AI applications still face the "last mile" hurdle before achieving deep integration into frontline operations. (People's Financial News)