CommBank appoints first Chief AI Scientist in Australia

CommBank has appointed Professor Mary-Anne Williams as its first Chief AI Scientist, the first role of its kind at an Australian bank.

Williams joins from the University of New South Wales, where she holds the Michael J Crouch Chair for Innovation, founded and leads the UNSW Business AI Lab, and serves as Deputy Director of the UNSW AI Institute.

Following a global search, her appointment adds a senior academic researcher to the bank's artificial intelligence leadership team. She will lead CommBank's Distinguished AI Scientists, whose work spans machine learning, responsible AI, AI security and generative AI.

The bank has been expanding its AI leadership structure. Ranil Boteju recently joined as Chief AI Officer, and the new Chief AI Scientist role adds another senior position focused on research and AI use across the organisation.

Williams is one of Australia's best-known AI researchers, with work spanning AI, agentic AI, human-AI collaboration, decision-making and innovation. Outside UNSW, she is also a Fellow at Stanford University and a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.

Research focus

At CommBank, she is expected to shape the bank's AI research agenda, help recruit and develop AI specialists, and support its approach to responsible AI. The structure mirrors a model used by large technology and financial services groups in the United States, where senior AI research leaders have been recruited directly from academia.

Williams' research has focused on how organisations manage and coordinate generative AI agents, an area drawing growing attention as companies move from testing AI systems to wider deployment. Her career has also included robotics, startup advisory work, industry partnerships, and work on the use of AI across business, government and society.

The appointment comes as banks face rising pressure to adopt AI tools while addressing risks around security, governance and oversight. Financial institutions have used AI for years in areas such as fraud detection, customer service and internal operations, but the rise of generative AI has prompted many to invest more heavily in research talent and internal controls.

Industry push

CommBank has sought to position itself as one of the more active banks in this area. It said it was ranked fourth globally and first in Asia Pacific in the 2025 Evident AI Index, which tracks AI maturity across the banking sector and highlighted its work on talent development and responsible AI.

The lender has also built ties with several technology companies as part of its AI efforts, including Anthropic, AWS, Microsoft and OpenAI. It has also opened a technology hub in San Francisco alongside its existing Seattle hub, giving its engineers and technologists closer access to technology partners.

Boteju said the new role reflected the bank's ambitions 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. 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," said Ranil Boteju, Chief AI Officer, CommBank.

Williams said the bank had already built a significant AI base.

"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. My focus will be on advancing our understanding of the societal implications of AI and supporting continued responsible AI innovation across CommBank," said Mary-Anne Williams, Chief AI Scientist, CommBank.