On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Lisa Bechtold, global executive and strategic leader in technology and law who currently serves at the head of AI governance from a transformative viewpoint at Zurich Insurance Group.

In this episode, we explore the challenges and opportunities of the current AI transformation, what it takes to drive innovation in insurance while minimizing potential risks about AI, the role of digital trust and sustainability in leveraging AI for long-term growth, and how leaders can prepare their teams for the digital transformation ahead of us.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• AI governance is about how we use AI, which already affects all areas of our private and business lives. The acceptance and potential success of AI applications, tools and use cases correlate with the respect of legal systems and the culture of the country or region.
• With the tools, systems and platforms we’ve built at Zurich, we’ve driven and scaled AI adoption, including the reuse of solutions which have proven extremely successful. In parallel, we drive AI literacy to foster adoption, but also to ensure AI tools are being used in an optimal way. For example, setting the right prompts is crucial for generating the most valuable output from GenAI tools.
• On one hand, we invest in the education of our workforce, with digital upscaling and AI literacy in particular. On the other hand, it’s crucial to allow for experimentation in a safe sandbox environment so that everyone is embrace the technological opportunities. Insurance has always been a data-driven industry, so the adoption of AI techniques is very well founded in insurance, from risk modelling to all phases of the insurance business value chain.
• Looking ahead, with the AI revolution taking place this year, both opportunities and risks will be taken to another level. Today,AI systems are beginning to autonomously interact with one another and adapt their behaviours accordingly. I expect, as things increase within both the interaction of individual AI agents as well as in the creation of high-performance, multi-agent systems. Such multi-agent systems bring a multitude of business opportunities but also trigger challenges, such as potential information asymmetries and miscoordination, all of which need to be understood and managed.

 

BEST MOMENTS

‘The goal of deploying AI solutions must be to optimise the benefits of the technology while effectively minimising the risks.’
‘AI governance is the foundation of being a catalyst of AI innovation and ensures high-quality outcomes and inspires trust in customers.’
‘Today we’re focusing on the scalability and further optimisation of our AI capabilities.’
‘Managing the complexity of multi-agent systems in a safe and lean way while optimising business value will be one of the key priorities for 2025.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Lisa Bechtold: As a Global Executive and Strategic Leader and Leader in Technology & Law, I have profound expertise and experience in Data, AI, Governance, Digital Risk and Regulatory Affairs to protect corporate assets and optimise business performance.

In my current role as Head of AI Governance at Zurich Insurance Group, I have pioneered and led the operationalisation of a framework for AI Quality & Safety to oversee the development and deployment of AI solutions globally.

My multifaceted background positions me perfectly to provide strategic advice on data, digital solutions, and technology topics, integrating legal & risk considerations, to generate sustainable business value and digital trust as a competitive edge.

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ABOUT THE HOST

Sabine is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Managing Partner of Alchemy Crew a venture lab that accelerates the curation, validation, & commercialization of new tech business models. Sabine is renowned within the insurance sector for building some of the most renowned tech startup accelerators around the world working with over 30 corporate insurers, accelerated over 100 startup ventures. Sabine is the co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, a top 50 Women in Tech, a FinTech and InsurTech Influencer, an investor & multi-award winner.

 

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