Rolling out AI access across a large organisation is the easy part. Building the judgement, safeguards, and leadership momentum needed to use it well at scale is far harder.

That is the challenge CommBank faced.

With 50,000 employees and responsible AI established as a long-term strategic priority, the bank offers a useful example of what it takes to move AI beyond isolated capability and into enterprise-wide execution and impact.

Jen French explains how CommBank is approaching that shift through leader led adoption, responsible AI frameworks, practical skill building, and reviewing adoption data to understand where confidence is genuinely taking hold.

Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

 

Key takeaways:

  • AI scales through people first. Widespread capability comes from education, access and confidence, not just specialist teams.
  • Responsible AI enables trust and speed. Strong, embedded governance makes safe scaling possible.
  • Leadership drives adoption. When leaders walk the talk, AI becomes part of the organisation’s culture.

 

Scaling AI through people, not just platforms

CommBank’s AI journey began nearly a decade ago with machine‑learning‑driven customer engagement, initially built by specialist technical teams.

What quickly became clear, however, was that value only scaled when the broader workforce understood and used AI.

Rather than limiting AI to technical experts, CommBank focused on equipping employees with AI assistants and foundational education: what AI is, how it’s already used across the bank, and how individuals can apply it safely in their day‑to‑day work.

This democratisation of AI capability required a mindset shift, not just new tools.

 

Guardrails that enable, not restrict

Empowering tens of thousands of employees naturally raises risk, but CommBank addressed this by embedding responsible AI principles directly into how work gets done.

A group‑wide Responsible AI Framework, supported by clear policies, standards, and toolkits, ensures AI use is ethical, secure, and compliant with regulation.

Importantly, governance is not treated as bureaucracy: legal, risk, compliance, HR and technology teams are brought together early to shape AI solutions before they are deployed, whether for customer experiences or internal productivity.

 

Leadership, momentum and measuring value

Leadership visibility has been critical, with senior executives actively role‑modelling AI use to normalise adoption and build trust.

Usage data helps to understand how AI tools are being used and where confidence is growing, while a strong learning culture allows teams to iterate on what works and adjust what doesn’t.

Rather than relying on one‑off business cases, CommBank sustains momentum through continuous learning, shared ownership, and embedding AI into everyday operating rhythms

Contributors
Jen French GM - AI Acceleration at CommBank
Steering CommBank’s COO Risk, Resilience, and Content Services Crew for 9 months, our team has optimized document lifecycle management and bolstered the... More

Steering CommBank’s COO Risk, Resilience, and Content Services Crew for 9 months, our team has optimized document lifecycle management and bolstered the resilience of critical technology platforms. At the heart of my approach lies a dedication to enhancing customer experience through robust business relationship management and influential leadership. In previous roles, I have delivered industry leading customer experiences tapping into my expertise in AI, data and analytics and a passion for finding the intersection between customer satisfaction and technological innovation.

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Peter Hind Principal Research Analyst at ADAPT
One of the ICT industry’s foremost analysts and commentators, Peter Hind has spent over 25 years advising and talking on topics across... More

One of the ICT industry’s foremost analysts and commentators, Peter Hind has spent over 25 years advising and talking on topics across the technology industry. His primary areas of interest are the potential of technology to transform the way organisations operate, the change management obstacles executives encounter in realising this potential, as well as the tactics and techniques leaders have deployed to overcome these difficulties.​

With roles across IDC, Unisys, NCR, Sigma Data, and others, Peter now takes on multiple roles within ADAPT including the moderation of private events and roundtables, interviewing business executives about the strategies they are pursuing and assisting with the structuring of delegate surveys.​

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leadership skills data