The AI Revolution – Unlock Your Potential
Key Takeaways
- The combination of Generative AI and Agentic AI is revolutionizing industries, especially investment management. This powerful synergy enables autonomous research and advanced problem-solving, going beyond mere efficiency gains to unlock previously unattainable capabilities.
- AI adoption in firms is shifting from primarily seeking operational efficiencies and cost savings to focusing on tangible return generation. This evolution, particularly in front-office strategies, signifies a move from "doing more with less" to "unlocking new markets and business opportunities" through AI.
- Successful AI deployment in large organizations demands a holistic strategy. Key elements include investing in people (training, AI champions), defining clear processes and use cases, ensuring robust technology infrastructure, maintaining high data quality, and establishing a strong governance framework for responsible and secure adoption.
In this episode of the Citi Institute podcast, host Alex Miller is joined by Dr. Prag Sharma, Future of Finance, focusing on Emerging Technologies, Citi Institute, and Helen Krause, Head of Global Data Insights, Citi. Together, they explore how the combined force of Generative AI and Agentic AI is accelerating multiple trends. These include the electronification of financial markets, institutional investor implementation, and leveraging AI for productivity, improved decision-making, and unlocking new markets.
Dr. Prag Sharma discusses how successful AI implementation requires a holistic, organization-wide approach that addresses key challenges like the "buy vs. build" decision.
Helen Krause explores how the advancements in Generative and Agentic AI are transforming the investment management industry, potentially leading to the emergence of AI-powered fund managers.
Together, they reflect on how establishing a robust governance framework is crucial —engaging regulators, investors, and employees—to ensure successful AI implementation.
The speaker's views are their own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Citi or any of its affiliates.
All opinions are subject to change without notice.
Neither the information provided nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security.
The expressions of opinion are not intended to be a forecast of future events or a guarantee of future results.
Helen Krause, Head of Global Data Insights, Citi
Helen Krause is Head of Global Data Insights with over 26 years of industry experience. In her current role, she is responsible for creating proprietary and innovative analytics and content, in addition to exploring and deploying the latest technologies on our marketing and contents activities. Examples include the team’s research into the latest consumer and macro trends in the industry – specifically on how alternative data, AI/ML and data science could help investors and corporates address current challenges in supply chain disruptions, understanding consumer sentiment and identifying emerging themes. Prior to this, she was a Senior Quant Researcher in Citi Research and initiated big data research within the team. She was also responsible for new alpha idea generation, thematic research, industry-specific factor research and macro risk modelling. Before Citi, she spent close to 10 years on the buyside as a Senior Portfolio Manager/Researcher at Morgan Stanley, BGI/Blackrock and Goldman Sachs Asset Management. She started her career at Citi Private Bank and Schroders Salomon Smith Barney.
Dr. Prag Sharma, Future of Finance, focusing on Emerging Technologies, Citi Institute
Dr. Prag Sharma is Director at Citi Institute’s Future of Finance, focussing on Emerging Technologies. As one of the distinguished Citi Tech Fellows globally, Prag is a Subject Matter Expert and the primary driver of Citi Institute’s thought-leadership on cutting-edge technologies, including in Generative and Agentic AI.
Prag previously led Citi’s Global Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence (AI CoE). The AI CoE led the development of Citi-wide best-practices from a Governance, Risk & Controls and Technology perspective in AI, addressed AI-related infrastructure and tooling needs across the organisation and enabled state-of-the-art AI design, development and use at Citi across all its businesses. Prag has led R&D teams and technology consultants in both industry and academia for over 15 years, working on emerging technologies with start-ups and multinationals in the Financial Services, Health, Technology and Pharmaceutical sectors. Prag holds a PhD in Machine Learning (Computer Vision) and an MBA, majoring in Innovation.
GenAI in Treasury - A Practitioner's Guide
In this paper, we undertake two key tasks. First, through surveys and interviews with treasury practitioners, we offer a current view of GenAI maturity in treasury departments. Second, based on these findings and experiences of those contributing to this paper, we propose a framework to help treasury advance their digital agenda through GenAI.