HSBC names first chief AI officer

HSBC has appointed David Rice (pictured) as its first chief AI officer, effective 1 April. The newly created role provides enterprise-wide leadership for AI adoption, supporting the bank’s ambition to build a future-ready institution by embedding AI solutions that benefit both colleagues and customers.

The appointment is part of HSBC’s broader push to deploy AI at scale, including making generative AI tools available to all staff to simplify processes, procedures, and policies, while equipping customer-facing teams with the AI capabilities needed to deliver more personalised services.

Rice previously served as chief operating officer for HSBC’s corporate and institutional banking business.

Georges Elhedery, Group CEO, HSBC said: “Our customers increasingly expect their bank to deliver services uniquely aligned to their specific needs, and fast. That’s why we’re building a bank that is designed for the future."

“AI plays a key role in how we get there. Our ambition here is simple – we will empower our colleagues to use AI to create a personalised experience for each customer, deliver it safely, in real time and at scale, while keeping human judgement, decision-making and accountability at the core. David will be instrumental in helping us realise our ambition in this area.”

Rice said: “AI is going to play an ever-increasing role in HSBC’s future plans, so I am thrilled to take on this new role to help us drive forward our transformation agenda.”

Alongside Rice’s appointment, HSBC has also expanded the remit of Mario Shamtani in his role as chief technology officer to strengthen the technology foundations needed to deploy AI at scale. This includes modernising core platforms, building a central AI platform that gives colleagues access to a range of models, and leading key strategic partnerships.

The appointment follows a recent Bloomberg report indicating that HSBC is considering substantial job cuts over the coming years as part of a strategy to increasingly rely on AI to streamline its middle- and back-office operations.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to HSBC for more information. 

Mark your calendars for 24 June! #Content360 Hong Kong returns with a dynamic, one-day event dedicated to pivotal trends—from the silver economies to breakthrough IP collaborations, sports, and beyond. Let's dive into the art of curating content with creativity, critical thinking and confidence!

Related articles:

HSBC HK's Brian Hui steps up as chief customer officer of wealth and personal banking
HSBC Life launches new campaign with refreshed brand proposition