Organizations Cannot Have Accurate AI on Inaccurate Data — First Citizens Bank Global HR Data Officer

(US & Canada) Jennifer Mezzio, Global HR Data Officer at First Citizens Bank, speaks with Amy McNee, SVP, Solutions Architecture and Technical GTM at Informatica, in a video interview about AI readiness, opportunities and concerns for women in AI, and deriving value from AI.

First Citizens Bank provides a full range of banking products and services to meet individual or business financial needs.

Speaking of AI adoption, Mezzio says that corporations should bring in AI if they want to stay competitive. Taking the instance of call centers, she states that there is massive private information in client call centers and employee and HR service centers that have a lot of turnarounds.

In this scenario, training individuals about the security of personal information comes with risks, says Mezzio. Bringing in AI and enabling it to be the privacy layer, where business rules can be integrated and AI can continuously learn and adapt, would benefit organizations immensely.

More so, this will allow companies to reskill their workforce for other critical tasks across organizations. She adds that it is not a question of if, but rather when organizations should consider AI adoption.

Sharing her opinion on the opportunities and concerns presented by AI, especially for women, Mezzio notes that there are great training opportunities for women in the workforce. There are few women teaching AI courses, which paints a homogeneous picture if diversity is not fostered.

Therefore, creating opportunities for women to gain these skills is critical, says Mezzio, as it levels the playing field for women. Highlighting the downfalls, she hints at the homogeneous population developing AI. For example, if AI is used in healthcare, it would be disadvantageous for women as their data would be misrepresented.

Delving further, Mezzio observes that to get more women in AI, the first step would be to get women interested in STEM. With all the existing career struggles, walking into a male-dominated field can be intimidating, which is why more supportive doors should open for women to enter STEM roles.

Mezzio believes that it should start with mentoring young school girls to make them aware of the field. Moreover, she mentions training the HR and recruiters to ensure hiring a diverse workforce.

Moving forward, Mezzio opines that to derive value from AI and GenAI, one needs to be realistic about AI readiness, as AI cannot run on a shaky foundation. Understanding the current state of maturity is critical, and to be successful with AI, one has to do the tedious work of data governance, cleansing, and quality.

Organizations cannot have accurate AI on inaccurate data; therefore, being realistic is imperative, says Mezzio. Along with that, there must be flexibility in knowing that there might be multiple versions before it matures. She adds that while ChatGPT makes it look easy, it comes with a disclaimer of inaccuracy.

In conclusion, Mezzio advises CDOs to understand the organizational vision of success and create that foundation. She urges CDOs to be the leaders, set the tone and direction, and have SMEs in different areas help roll out the plan and derive organizational success.

CDO Magazine appreciates Jennifer Mezzio for sharing her insights with our global community