In Episode 180 of the AIAW Podcast, we’re joined by Stephan Erne, former Chief Digital Officer at Handelsbanken, to explore how AI moves from experimentation to real business impact in highly regulated industries. Drawing on nearly two decades of leading digital transformation across banking and telco in the Nordics and Germany, Stephan shares how organizations can align technology, compliance, and business to scale AI responsibly. We discuss the role of trust and transparency in financial services, the rise of “empathic AI,” and how bottom-up AI adoption is reshaping large institutions. From leadership and culture to governance and long-term strategy, this episode focuses on what it takes to build AI systems that create value while maintaining control in a rapidly evolving landscape.
