NAB creates dedicated AI science team to guide workforce transition
National Australia Bank is establishing a new AI science team to direct how the bank deploys artificial intelligence across its operations, including decisions about which tasks get automated and which new roles get created.
George Mathews, senior principal data analyst at McKinsey's QuantumBlack division, will lead the team. It will include AI scientists, AI engineers, data scientists, engineers, product managers, and designers.
The team's responsibilities span designing systems to handle customer data safely, supporting staff decision-making, and streamlining back-office processes.
Building capability in-house
Mahya Knox, NAB's chief AI officer, said the team will be critical to building "rigorous AI agent architecture, evaluation methodology, and new AI products."
"As we implement AI safely and at scale, we must have the right skills, capabilities and experience," Knox said. "We want to build that foundational capability in-house, helping us create safe and valuable solutions that deliver for the whole enterprise."
The move comes as NAB previously announced it would expand AI hiring substantially. Pete Steel, the bank's group executive for digital, data and AI, said in February that the bank is "growing our teams and investing in capability to create AI career paths."
New roles emerging alongside automation
Steel drew a parallel to the arrival of electricity as a transformational technology. "We have AI Scientists who are building and training our AI models - they're the new power stations. We have domain experts who are applying AI to some stubborn problems and opportunities - they're our new electricians," he said.
The bank expects AI to touch every role across the organization. "Fundamentally AI will change for the better how we operate and how we serve customers," Steel said.
For HR leaders managing workforce transitions during AI adoption, understanding how organizations structure these decisions can inform your own planning. Learn more about AI for Human Resources or explore the AI Learning Path for CHROs to develop strategy around workforce transformation.
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