Commonwealth Bank has appointed an AI researcher from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) as its first chief AI scientist.
In the new role, Professor Mary-Anne Williams will lead CBA’s team of Distinguished AI Scientists, which is a group of researchers specialising in machine learning, responsible AI, AI security and generative AI.
Williams joins from UNSW, where she is currently the Michael J Crouch chair for Innovation, founder and lead of the UNSW Business AI Lab, and deputy director of the UNSW AI Institute. She is an internationally-recognised AI researcher, with expertise spanning AI, agentic AI, human-AI collaboration, decision-making and innovation.
According to the bank, Williams will play a “central role” in shaping its AI research agenda, attracting and developing AI talent and supporting the application of responsible AI across the bank.
The move follows the appointment of Ranil Boteju as CBA’s chief AI officer in November last year, with Boteju saying the creation of the chief AI scientist role reflects the bank’s ambition to lead in AI research and innovation.
“Mary-Anne is one of Australia’s most respected AI leaders and brings a rare combination of academic leadership, commercial insight, and deep technical expertise that will help accelerate our AI strategy,” Boteju said.
“She will help us explore the boundaries of what’s possible with AI while taking a leadership role in the continued application of responsible AI in ways that make a real difference for our customers.”
It also follows ANZ’s appointment of its first chief data and AI officer last month, as Australian banks accelerate investment in AI capabilities and research amid growing concerns around the technology’s risks and vulnerabilities.
According to CBA, Williams’ newly-created role draws on a model used by global technology and financial services firms in the US, which have recruited senior AI leaders from academia to help build and scale AI responsibly across their organisations.
This marks the first time an Australian bank has adopted this approach.
On her appointment, Williams said: “CommBank has built one of the most advanced AI capabilities of any bank in the world, and I’m excited to be joining at such a pivotal moment. The opportunity to work alongside exceptional technologists and researchers and help shape how AI is applied at scale for millions of Australians is a genuine privilege.”
She added that her focus will be on advancing CBA’s understanding of the societal implications of AI and supporting continued responsible AI innovation across the bank.
As well as her work at UNSW, Williams is also a Fellow at Stanford University and a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), one of the peak international bodies for AI research.
Her career spans frontier research, global industry partnerships, robotics, startup advisory work, and the practical application of AI across business, government, and society.
She will commence in the new position on 15 June.
Alongside new AI-focused appointments, CBA is also strengthening ties with major North American AI companies, with Anthropic stating last month that it plans to deepen its relationship with the bank following the opening of its first Australian office in Sydney in April.
The bank is also in collaboration with AWS, Microsoft and OpenAI, and recently opened a Technology Hub in San Francisco, complementing its Seattle hub, to “foster learning opportunities for CommBank technologists alongside technology partners”.
