In this episode, we sit down with Janet Xinyi Guo, a leading expert in data management and digital transformation at Lloyds. With over 7 years of experience driving one of the UK’s largest digital transformation programs, Janet brings deep insights into the intersection of AI, data ethics, and responsible data usage.
Episode Summary
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AI Isn’t Just Sci-Fi
Janet takes us on a journey through her transition from a technical architect to a strategic role in data management — and how AI plays a surprisingly pivotal part in it. While it might sound counterintuitive to mix structured governance with dynamic AI, Janet shares how artificial intelligence is already optimising data quality. Imagine robots doing a spring clean on your data sets, spotting bugs and fixing anomalies before your morning coffee hits the halfway mark.
But the real gem? Generative AI isn’t just generating images and poems — it’s helping craft governance policies. Yes, the same tech behind viral deepfakes is also writing policy documents now. It’s like getting Shakespeare to draft your data standards — poetic, precise, and possibly a bit over the top.
Digital Transformation in Banking
If digital transformation was a race, the banking sector wouldn’t be Usain Bolt. But according to Janet, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Legacy systems, deeply ingrained workflows, and conservative culture mean banks are slower to change — but also more methodical.
Janet draws a vivid picture of what transformation looks like in reality: moving from Excel sheets scattered across departments to centralised dashboards that actually talk to each other. It’s not just a tech shift, it’s a mindset makeover. And perhaps most critically, it’s a culture change.
Data Ethics
As organisations become data-hungry beasts, the need for ethical boundaries becomes even more urgent. Janet breaks down data ethics not as some abstract philosophical code, but as everyday responsibility: knowing what you can do with data, and more importantly, what you shouldn’t.
She flags two key frameworks steering the ship in financial services — GDPR and BCBS 239. The former governs personal data (you’ve probably seen the cookie banners), while the latter focuses on protecting financial institutions from risk caused by poor data quality.
But ethics isn’t just compliance — it’s culture. And Janet’s take? Ethics must be baked into the organisation’s DNA, from how data is accessed and shared to who owns it and how it’s encrypted. In short: data is powerful, but with structure and soul, it can be transformative.
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To find out more about Janet, check out our full episode – available on all your favourite channels. Now including YouTube!
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This article summarises podcast episode 130 “managing data in the age of AI” recorded by CX Insider.
Written by Elysia Filaitis