Artificial intelligence and machine learning are reshaping how businesses defend against payments fraud. But moving from legacy, rules-based systems to AI-driven protection isn’t as simple as switching on new technology. 

Effective fraud defense also depends on execution, fast response when attacks happen, guidance through complex migrations, and a partner who understands how to apply AI responsibly at enterprise scale. 

Recent conversations with three Adyen customers, Equinox, Under Armour, and Roku, highlight what this looks like in practice, and what technology and finance leaders should expect from modern, AI-enabled fraud protection. 

Rapid response when fraud strikes

For Equinox, the value of AI-based fraud protection became clear during a card-testing attack late on a Friday evening last year.

“I was sipping on cocktails [when] the team kind of reached out to me and [said] we were under a card testing attack,” recalled Ammar Lokhandwala, VP, Enterprise Applications for Equinox, 

Lokhandwa’s first call was to his Adyen account manager. The team “immediately mobilized” and implemented RevenueProtect, the company's machine learning-based fraud protection system, which effectively neutralized the attack. "Even though it was a Friday night or weekend, it was still immediate,” he said of the Adyen team’s response.

While traditional rules-based anti-fraud systems require manual configuration and can take days to respond to new attack patterns, AI-based tools like RevenueProtect can detect anomalies and adapt in real-time, neutralizing attacks much faster and, importantly, significantly limiting damage.  

Equinox’s experience also illustrates the value of AI that’s built directly into the payments stack. Protection improves continuously, without adding operational friction. 

Support through complex transitions

AI-based fraud tools are powerful, but migrating away from legacy systems can be complex. That’s where experienced guidance matters. 

During its transition, athletic apparel giant Under Armour encountered implementation challenges that required hands-on collaboration. 

"We had an issue; we just didn't know where it was coming from," said Giulia Andriuolo, Lead Digital Product Management for Under Armour. Working closely with the company’s Adyen account manager, the problem was identified and resolved promptly, she said. 

Beyond troubleshooting, Under Armour also benefits from insights drawn from Adyen's global transactions data. Patterns observed across $1.4T+ in transactions help inform fraud strategy while allowing controlled experimentation. 

“AI is a tricky subject,” Andriuolo explained. Being able to leverage Adyen’s “expertise, knowledge, and…. wealth of data allows us to…. try new things with a limited risk,” making implementations much more manageable, she noted. 

AI integrations to match risk appetites

Not every organization adopts AI at the same pace. Flexibility is key. 

Streaming platform Roku opted to transition its fraud protection capabilities in stages, starting with a series of trials of specific functionalities before full commitment, and gradually expanding AI applications across their payment operations. 

Using the success of these internal rollouts as proof of concept, Roku’s payments team is now looking to expand the use of AI/ML beyond fraud protection, into applications including payment optimization, network tokenization, and subscription management, noted Bryan Valladares, Senior Product Manager for Roku.

"We want to think about payments as much as possible, with the help of Adyen, so that our customers don't really have to," Valladares said. “They just want to go and watch the content on their Roku device as easily as possible."

Building future-ready payments protection

As payments fraud continues to evolve, legacy defenses are no longer enough. AI plays a critical role, but technology alone doesn’t deliver protection. 

What matters is how AI is applied: rapid response during incidents, support through migrations, and flexibility to grow capabilities over time. That’s where the right payments partner makes the difference. 

Learn how Adyen delivers the tools and guidance needed to protect payments today, and prepare for tomorrow.