Enterprise AI at Scale: How U.S. Bank's Chief AI Officer Deploys AI Across 70,000 Employees | CXOTalk #906
Wed Jan 21 2026
Prashant Mehrotra, Chief AI Officer at US Bank, discusses how the bank evaluates AI initiatives and scales projects from pilot to production. He explains how to build customer trust through responsible AI design and prepare for the future of autonomous banking in CXOTalk episode 906. This conversation covers key aspects of AI in business and AI implementation within a large banking institution.
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Please support our sponsor Emeritus:
Explore executive education programs from Emeritus, in collaboration with top universities: https://cxotalk.partner.emeritus.org/
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Key topics discussed:
→ Why AI should transform processes, not simply make them more efficient
→ How U.S. Bank cut governance approval times in half by engaging risk partners early
→ The critical role of baselines in determining whether AI pilots scale or fail
→ Why "AI without data is a hallucination" and how the bank organizes Digital, Data, and AI under one leader
→ Building AI literacy across the entire workforce, from executives to frontline associates
→ The shift from building models to leveraging external foundation models at scale
→ Balancing personalization with privacy in customer interactions
Mehrotra emphasizes that the client remains the "North Star" for every AI initiative. He offers practical guidance on metrics, funding pilots through to production, and creating repeatable governance processes that accelerate rather than slow down AI deployment.
🔷 Show notes: https://www.cxotalk.com/episode/u-s-banks-chief-ai-officer-on-strategy-governance-and-scaling-ai
🔷 Newsletter: www.cxotalk.com/subscribe
🔷 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cxotalk
🔷 Twitter: twitter.com/cxotalk
📍 CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction: AI at U.S. Bank
00:30 How AI Ideas Get Evaluated and Funded
02:24 The Chief AI Officer Role: The 4 E's Framework
05:21 AI as a Transformative Force, Not Just Technology
09:05 Real-World AI Impact: Customer Service and Developer Tools
11:15 Measuring AI Success: Metrics That Matter
15:31 Why 95% of AI Pilots Fail: The Importance of Baselines
17:05 AI and Sustainability Goals
18:01 Managing Risk and Governance at Scale
22:46 Moving from Pilots to Production
25:54 Aligning AI Strategy with Business Objectives
28:39 Building an AI-Ready Workforce: Skills and Education
32:12 How AI Differs from ERP and Traditional Technology Rollouts
35:05 Regulatory Compliance in AI-Driven Customer Outreach
37:16 Leadership Structure and Cross-Functional Collaboration
39:07 Data as the Foundation of AI
42:20 Technology Platforms and Vendor Partnerships
43:24 Build vs. Buy: Leveraging Foundation Models
45:56 AI as Strategic Investment: Creating Durable Value
47:58 Personalization Without Being Invasive
50:14 Conclusion
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Banking #DigitalTransformation #EnterpriseAI #ChiefAIOfficer #Leadership #CXOTalk
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Prashant Mehrotra, Chief AI Officer at US Bank, discusses how the bank evaluates AI initiatives and scales projects from pilot to production. He explains how to build customer trust through responsible AI design and prepare for the future of autonomous banking in CXOTalk episode 906. This conversation covers key aspects of AI in business and AI implementation within a large banking institution. ======= Please support our sponsor Emeritus: Explore executive education programs from Emeritus, in collaboration with top universities: https://cxotalk.partner.emeritus.org/ ======= Key topics discussed: → Why AI should transform processes, not simply make them more efficient → How U.S. Bank cut governance approval times in half by engaging risk partners early → The critical role of baselines in determining whether AI pilots scale or fail → Why "AI without data is a hallucination" and how the bank organizes Digital, Data, and AI under one leader → Building AI literacy across the entire workforce, from executives to frontline associates → The shift from building models to leveraging external foundation models at scale → Balancing personalization with privacy in customer interactions Mehrotra emphasizes that the client remains the "North Star" for every AI initiative. He offers practical guidance on metrics, funding pilots through to production, and creating repeatable governance processes that accelerate rather than slow down AI deployment. 🔷 Show notes: https://www.cxotalk.com/episode/u-s-banks-chief-ai-officer-on-strategy-governance-and-scaling-ai 🔷 Newsletter: www.cxotalk.com/subscribe 🔷 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cxotalk 🔷 Twitter: twitter.com/cxotalk 📍 CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction: AI at U.S. Bank 00:30 How AI Ideas Get Evaluated and Funded 02:24 The Chief AI Officer Role: The 4 E's Framework 05:21 AI as a Transformative Force, Not Just Technology 09:05 Real-World AI Impact: Customer Service and Developer Tools 11:15 Measuring AI Success: Metrics That Matter 15:31 Why 95% of AI Pilots Fail: The Importance of Baselines 17:05 AI and Sustainability Goals 18:01 Managing Risk and Governance at Scale 22:46 Moving from Pilots to Production 25:54 Aligning AI Strategy with Business Objectives 28:39 Building an AI-Ready Workforce: Skills and Education 32:12 How AI Differs from ERP and Traditional Technology Rollouts 35:05 Regulatory Compliance in AI-Driven Customer Outreach 37:16 Leadership Structure and Cross-Functional Collaboration 39:07 Data as the Foundation of AI 42:20 Technology Platforms and Vendor Partnerships 43:24 Build vs. Buy: Leveraging Foundation Models 45:56 AI as Strategic Investment: Creating Durable Value 47:58 Personalization Without Being Invasive 50:14 Conclusion #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Banking #DigitalTransformation #EnterpriseAI #ChiefAIOfficer #Leadership #CXOTalk