Sathish Muthukrishnan, the chief information, data and digital officer at Ally Financial, was given the green light by CEO Jeffrey Brown to experiment with generative artificial intelligence, but he knew he needed buy-in from other divisions and employees. Muthukrishnan had to showcase the value of the technology, eliminate fear, and demonstrate how the bank was protected from its risks. He solicited ideas from employees, clarified the use of generative AI with control groups, and established three principles governing its use. He also oversaw the completion of Ally.ai, a proprietary cloud-based platform for AI-related projects. To prove its promise to employees, Muthukrishnan showed use cases that saved time and energy, created an AI playbook, and organized “AI Days” for employees to learn about advancements in generative AI. Now, Ally has over 450 use cases in its pipeline, and Muthukrishnan advises prioritizing use cases that will generate the most money and drive productivity.

Ally Financial’s AI Experimentation
“It’s my job as CEO to balance risk with innovation. But it’s your job as the technology leader to push the organization to innovate”
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