Oz Pearlman to headline AI-focused FICO World 2026
FICO has named mentalist and author Oz Pearlman as a main stage performer at FICO World 2026, as the company prepares a conference agenda focused on applied intelligence in financial services.
The four-day event takes place in Orlando, Florida. FICO said it expects more than 1,500 business leaders from more than 50 countries to attend.
FICO World sits within a growing calendar of financial services events that centre on artificial intelligence, analytics and customer decisioning. Banks and payments firms have increased spending on data infrastructure and fraud controls. They have also faced tighter scrutiny of automated decision-making and consumer outcomes.
Main Stage
FICO positioned Pearlman's appearance around behavioural cues and customer engagement. The company said Pearlman will demonstrate techniques associated with reading signals and influencing perception.
Pearlman is an Emmy Award winning mentalist and a New York Times bestselling author, according to FICO. He has appeared on US television programmes including The TODAY Show and The Tonight Show. FICO said he previously worked on Wall Street and has performed for more than 25 years.
"Businesses worldwide are striving to create authentic connections with customers, and the key to that is reading customer behavior," said Oz Pearlman.
"This is what I do. Join me at FICO World 2026 as I bridge the gap between mind reading and psychology-based customer management," said Pearlman.
Conference Focus
FICO said the conference will cover AI and applied intelligence in financial services. It also listed customer management, fraud prevention and digital transformation as themes.
The company said several large financial institutions plan to outline progress linked to what it calls the "Intelligence Revolution". FICO did not name specific institutions in its announcement.
Nikhil Behl, President, Software at FICO, linked the event programme with changes in the sector. He said the conference provides a forum for peer comparisons and strategy discussions.
"AI is reshaping the rules and roles in financial services," said Nikhil Behl, President, Software at FICO. "FICO World gives the world's leaders in financial services the chance to learn from each other, to benchmark their progress and to discover new strategies and technologies. In this context, Oz Pearlman will demonstrate how powerful it is when you read every signal from your customers and act on it. This is the capability every company today needs, and it's what we bring to life through our AI-powered software," said Behl.
Market Backdrop
Financial services firms have used AI tools across fraud detection, credit risk assessment and customer service. Many institutions have also pushed automation deeper into underwriting and collections. They have tested new models for transaction monitoring and identity verification.
At the same time, financial institutions have faced challenges linked to model risk and explainability. Regulators in multiple regions have increased expectations around governance, data quality and controls for automated decisioning.
Industry executives have also focused on customer experience and retention as digital banking use increases and competition intensifies. This has driven interest in behavioural analytics, personalisation and real-time decisioning.
FICO, founded in 1956, sells analytics software and decision management tools to financial services and other sectors. The company is known for the FICO Score in the US credit market. FICO said the score is used by 90% of top US lenders and has been made available in more than 40 other countries.
FICO said it operates in more than 80 countries. The company also said its tools address fraud protection for payment cards and broader risk management workflows.
FICO World 2026 runs from May 19 to May 22 in Orlando, with sessions set to focus on AI use in customer management and fraud prevention alongside a main stage performance from Pearlman.