Synovus AI journey elevates, simplifies banking experience
What does the future of banking look like with artificial intelligence?
Kevin Johnson, director of information technology, and his team are vigorously focused on exploring that question and its implications for reshaping the banking experience.
“I thrive on keeping pace with technology, embracing innovation and finding ways to embed AI directly into the tools our teams use every day,” Johnson says. “And building a team focused on future-proofing the bank, along with streamlining operations, makes Synovus even more competitive.”
Synovus is a champion of AI innovation in the Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America, and using AI to enhance client safety is a top priority. Bowman Hill, data analyst of AI strategy and services, sees AI as more than technology but a powerful ally in improving workflows. “We want to provide state-of-the-art AI systems to our team members,” Hill says.
“Through machine learning algorithms, we proactively manage transactional risks with neural networks. We can use Intelligent Document Processing to classify and extract information from documents, and with generative AI, we can generate content grounded in Synovus data. The potential for AI at Synovus is endless,” he adds. Keeping Synovus governance aligned with National Institute of Standards and Technology standards helps manage security risks and ensure compliance.
“We know AI-based technologies will improve productivity and allow team members to focus on higher-value activities to support clients,” Johnson shares.
“There are many ways we look to incorporate AI into the workflow for our teams. We’re discovering how we can continue to modernize bank operations and reimagine applications for the future with this transformational technology.” -Kevin Johnson
He and his team help the bank adopt applications like Microsoft Copilot, an AI productivity tool; ChatPFP, AI search assistance to help team members search Synovus-based information; Executive Order analysis, an agent that reads through every executive order providing insights and impact to the bank’s policies; Synovus GPT, a newer generative model; and a virtual conversation companion that enhances creativity and collaboration.
AI banking technology is still under development. Each new idea is targeted to increase ease of service and work. AI agents support human resources, operations, executive orders and sentiment analysis. For example, customized knowledge retrieval agents help team members search Synovus-based information.
With innovation comes education. “We recognized the need to equip our team members with the knowledge to excel using all these new tools,” Hill says. “We’re streamlining our processes for team members to request product- or topic-specific information to help them understand this new technology and develop AI solutions to solve challenges or help them work smarter.” Team member surveys, audit results and model validations have confirmed that AI contributes to increased productivity.
At Synovus, the future of banking is all about connection, empowerment and exploring the continual possibilities of AI. “There are many ways we look to incorporate AI into the workflow for our teams,” Johnson says. “We’re discovering how we can continue to modernize bank operations and customize and reimagine applications for the future with this transformational technology.”
Read more about how Synovus team members are enabling people to reach their full potential.