Adopting AI requires an integrated approach: people engagement, data enhancement, continuous training and the development of transversal skills.
Today, more and more organizations are facing a new challenge: AI adoption. And it usually starts with a set of questions: “What is generative AI really? Is it a tool for working better? A threat to those who don’t know how to use it?”
Short, clear-cut answers are hard to give… perhaps it’s much simpler to jump in and use it, to understand how it works. But with care, as can be seen from the experience of Banca Generali.
AI adoption starts with making the most of data
This willingness to jump in actually stems from the significant attention Banca Generali has long devoted to Artificial Intelligence.
As Riccardo Renna, Chief Operating Officer & Innovation at Banca Generali, explains, the AI adoption project has, over the years, made it possible to build the Institute’s digital foundations, and specifically has achieved results for:
- Bankers: a broad ecosystem of applications supporting Financial Advisors;
- The Bank: automating business processes to simplify day-to-day activities;
- Customers: new digital tools to enrich the customer’s own experience.
Generali’s commitment began several years ago, with a strong focus on the centrality of information and its strategic use: “In 2022 we shifted our attention to information assets, considering them one of the pillars of innovation for developing our strategic plan. On one hand, there was a cross-functional commitment from all areas to evolve how information is shared within the bank, and on the other, the focus was on advanced analytics supporting the growth of the business and the network. In the meantime, we launched the bank’s replatforming journey, strengthening our relationship with the CSE (Banking Services Consortium). We are now at the start of a new phase: understanding how to fully harness the potential of Generative AI to enable the spread of a new way of working,” Renna emphasizes.
AI adoption: the value of starting with an exploration path
This is where Methodos comes in, which, with its expertise in cultural change management, supported Banca Generali on a journey to explore AI.
The setting was a large event in Sardinia, attended by more than 200 agents and staff, in which AI itself was one of the protagonists of a rich program.
We created an informal, light-hearted setting in which to experiment with AI in an engaging way. And so, for three days, Banca Generali’s people immersed themselves in an experiential journey dedicated to AI, combining learning, dialogue and experimentation.
This was also meant to give shape to Banca Generali’s vision, according to which “artificial intelligence is a revolution that involves everyone — to use the words of Valentina Frezza, Chief People Officer. That’s why we launched a cultural effort that starts with training people and continues through workshops with inspiring speakers and technical training sessions. Digital as a culture of competitiveness and innovation is a fundamental paradigm in our sector, and more generally in company growth. That’s why we created dedicated paths for all bank staff, with access to content and tools that foster dialogue and the gradual integration into their work of more efficient models. We went even further, creating genuine ‘AI Ambassadors’, who for us represent seeds of innovation supporting each unit in identifying specific needs and spreading cultural change.”
Three days of full immersion to test AI’s potential
The underlying idea of the journey was to stage a fair, a genuine “exhibition”, a creative lab to get hands-on experience of what can be done with Copilot Edge.
The fair was designed to make people the protagonists, letting them try things out and experiment, to better understand the full potential of what they already have at their fingertips — for example the Copilot Edge tool, already available to all of them — and to share and align with colleagues on what the bank is implementing around AI.
The journey began with the presentation of the results of a survey carried out shortly before at Banca Generali, in which everyone took part, aimed at gauging the level of familiarity with the tool and forming diverse working groups. Each day that followed had a different focus: the first was dedicated to training and deepening knowledge of the tool; the second to teamwork; and the third saw the presentation and awarding of the teams’ work.
On the first day, then, participants experienced a “fair”, during which they explored various stations, each dedicated to exploring a specific feature of Copilot Edge.
The following day, split into 12 teams, they were involved in creating a video clip lasting up to 90 minutes, in two competition categories:
– BG Home Launch Video: aimed at encouraging advisors to use Banca Generali Home, the brand-new virtual desktop;
– Welcome to BG!: aimed at creating a welcome message for new joiners, conveying the spirit and culture found at Banca Generali.
Every single step was designed so that each team would need to turn to Copilot Edge for help in defining the subject, writing the script, choosing the most effective characters/protagonists or symbols, images and/or research, special effects, and music.
Over the course of the three days, moments of inspiration were also organized, such as the one with Luca Argenton, co-founder and CEO of Digital Attitude, who, as an Artificial Intelligence expert, outlined the boundaries and horizons the field is now shaping.