S2 E6. 5 Years Kate 🎂: Inside KBC’s AI Playbook - The Data Playbook Podcast with Kris Peeters & Dr. Barak Chizi
The Data Playbook Podcast
<p>What happens when a bank decides that AI and IP are so strategic they must be built in-house - then actually <em>follows through</em> for more than a decade?</p>
<p>In this episode of <strong>The Data Playbook</strong>, <strong>Dr. Barak Chizi</strong>, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at <strong>KBC Group</strong>, joins <strong>Kris Peeters</strong> to reveal how KBC built one of Europe’s most mature AI organisations and what it took to bring <strong>Kate</strong>, their AI assistant, to life, and keep her evolving for 5 years.</p>
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<p><strong>You’ll hear how KBC:</strong></p>
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<li><p>Grew from early machine learning to <strong>2,000+ AI use cases</strong> in production</p></li>
<li><p>Developed an <strong>AI-driven anti-money laundering platform</strong> and commercialised it for other banks</p></li>
<li><p>Scaled <strong>Kate</strong>, now celebrating 5 years and upgraded with <strong>GPT.</strong></p></li>
<li><p>Uses the <strong>U-model</strong> to govern AI safely from idea to production</p></li>
<li><p>Keeps <strong>ROI at the centre</strong> of every AI project</p></li>
<li><p>Stays vendor-independent while still leveraging hyperscaler LLMs</p></li>
<li><p>Builds <strong>diverse, high-calibre AI teams</strong> with a rigorous recruitment approach</p></li>
<li><p>Explores <strong>soft logic</strong> and modelling <strong>customer intent</strong> as the next frontier of financial AI</p></li>
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<p>If you want to understand how to turn AI from experiments into a true competitive advantage, this conversation is your playbook.</p>
<p>🌐 More at <a href="http://www.dataminded.com" rel="nofollow">www.dataminded.com</a> and subscribe to our channel.</p>
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<p><strong>Show notes:</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Foundation of Soft Logic</strong>👉 <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-58233-2" rel="nofollow">https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-58233-2</a></p>
<p><strong>Dan Ariely – Predictably Irrational</strong>👉 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expanded-Decisions/dp/0061353248/" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expanded-Decisions/dp/0061353248/</a></p>
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<p>⏱️ Chapters</p>
<p>00:00 – Intro to The Data Playbook & today’s guest01:15 – Barak’s backstory: 25 years in AI & high-dimensional data03:02 – What a CDAO does at KBC & enabling 24/7 AI-assisted service04:55 – Towards continuous, machine-supported customer journeys06:37 – The U-Model: KBC’s framework for data & AI projects08:35 – Flagship AI products, finite project lifecycle & retraining10:07 – Prioritising AI use cases across 5 countries12:31 – ROI mindset, conservative risk culture & data as an asset14:21 – Why KBC keeps AI in-house & limits external consultants18:17 – Beyond data warehouses: from reporting to prediction22:21 – AI-driven AML platform & the creation of SKY25:30 – Patents, AI IP and KBC’s competitive positioning27:25 – Generative AI at KBC since 2018 & early transformer experiments29:11 – Pragmatic tech choices: LLMs vs ML vs simple automation31:42 – Avoiding GenAI hype and focusing on customer value33:03 – Why KBC built Kate: 24/7 banking & impatient customers35:28 – From FAQ bot to execution engine: Kate’s end-to-end capabilities37:07 – Customer reactions, branches vs digital & Kate’s 2026 roadmap39:24 – Multi-LLM strategy, vendor independence & design partnerships40:44 – Inside Kate’s architecture: NLU, open source & KBC-built layers42:37 – Proactive AI: timing, context and personalised offers44:51 – Soft logic, consciousness & modelling customer intent49:19 – Building a diverse, 24-nationality AI team at KBC51:37 – Recruitment process, tests & how candidates are evaluated55:21 – What KBC looks for in modern data scientists57:15 – Lessons after 10 years at KBC & book recommendation</p>