New Delhi, April 23 -- Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday asked banks to prioritise strengthening their cyber defences, promptly report suspicious digital activity, and engage top cybersecurity experts amid concerns over emerging risks linked to recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), according to a finance ministry statement posted on X.

Chairing a high-level meeting with scheduled commercial banks and key stakeholders, Sitharaman said the evolving threat posed by the latest AI models was unprecedented and required a high degree of vigilance, preparedness, and stronger coordination across financial institutions.

She advised the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) to develop a coordinated institutional mechanism to res...