CBA appoints first chief AI scientist to lead frontier research
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The news: The Commonwealth Bank has appointed its first chief AI scientist as it looks to follow the lead of US tech companies and recruit academics with frontier research experience.
On Monday, CBA said it had appointed Mary-Anne Williams to the role. Williams joins from the University of New South Wales, where she is the Michael J Crouch chair for innovation, founder of the university’s Business AI Lab, and deputy director of its AI Institute.
She is also a Stanford University fellow and a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, a peak research body.
The bank said she would lead its internal team of AI scientists, spearhead its research agenda and help attract world-class talent to the bank.
What they said: CBA’s new AI chief Ranil Boteju said the appointment would help push the bank forward.
“Mary-Anne is one of Australia’s most respected AI leaders and brings a rare combination of academic leadership, commercial insight, and deep technical expertise that will help accelerate our AI strategy,” Boteju said.
“She will help us explore the boundaries of what’s possible with AI while taking a leadership role in the continued application of responsible AI in ways that make a real difference for our customers.”
Williams said she was attracted by the bank’s world-leading reputation in the space.
“The opportunity to work alongside exceptional technologists and researchers and help shape how AI is applied at scale for millions of Australians is a genuine privilege,” Williams said.
“My focus will be on advancing our understanding of the societal implications of AI and supporting continued responsible AI innovation across CommBank,” she said.
The context: The hire follows a number of AI appointments across all of the banks as each tries to bed down the technology strategies and avoid being left behind.
The source: CBA
