In this episode, Dave and Dharm sit down with Cristina Pieretti, Head of Digital Content and Innovation at Moody’s, to explore how one of the world’s most data-driven organisations is reimagining itself through Generative AI.
Cristina reveals how Moody’s moved rapidly from early experiments to launching its first commercial GenAI product, the Moody’s Research Assistant, which became the company’s fastest-adopted tool in history. She shares how GenAI now powers everything from developer co-pilots to agentic sales and strategy tools, reshaping how thousands of employees work and think.
The conversation dives deep into:
How Moody’s is embedding GenAI across teams while managing risk, trust, and data integrity.
The cultural shift needed to make AI adoption part of everyone’s job — not just the developers’.
Why agentic systems represent the next big leap for productivity and innovation.
How banks and financial institutions are following suit, with parallels drawn to the early days of cloud adoption.
Cristina’s candid thoughts on the so-called “AI bubble” and why she believes specialisation and high-quality data will separate lasting innovation from hype.
This is a masterclass in how established financial institutions can turn disruption into opportunity, with human creativity and trusted data at the core.
All content for Dave and Dharm DeMystify is the property of Dave and Dharm DeMystify Fintech and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In this episode, Dave and Dharm sit down with Cristina Pieretti, Head of Digital Content and Innovation at Moody’s, to explore how one of the world’s most data-driven organisations is reimagining itself through Generative AI.
Cristina reveals how Moody’s moved rapidly from early experiments to launching its first commercial GenAI product, the Moody’s Research Assistant, which became the company’s fastest-adopted tool in history. She shares how GenAI now powers everything from developer co-pilots to agentic sales and strategy tools, reshaping how thousands of employees work and think.
The conversation dives deep into:
How Moody’s is embedding GenAI across teams while managing risk, trust, and data integrity.
The cultural shift needed to make AI adoption part of everyone’s job — not just the developers’.
Why agentic systems represent the next big leap for productivity and innovation.
How banks and financial institutions are following suit, with parallels drawn to the early days of cloud adoption.
Cristina’s candid thoughts on the so-called “AI bubble” and why she believes specialisation and high-quality data will separate lasting innovation from hype.
This is a masterclass in how established financial institutions can turn disruption into opportunity, with human creativity and trusted data at the core.
EP 142: DEMYSTIFYING AI AND THE FUTURE OF ADVICE WITH HELENA WARDLE FOUNDER MONEY MEANS
Dave and Dharm DeMystify
39 minutes 48 seconds
1 month ago
EP 142: DEMYSTIFYING AI AND THE FUTURE OF ADVICE WITH HELENA WARDLE FOUNDER MONEY MEANS
In this episode of Dave and Dharm Demystify, the 2 D's sit down with Helena Wardle, a Chartered Financial Planner and founder of the fintech Money Means, to explore how technology is transforming financial advice.
Helena explains her motivation for building AIDA, an AI-powered digital advisor designed to make quality financial guidance accessible to people who traditionally couldn’t afford it. She discusses the challenges of creating technology that isn’t just functional but genuinely supportive, conversational, and capable of replicating the empathy and understanding that clients expect from a human advisor.
The discussion covers some of the hottest topics in financial services today:
Why expert-trained AI models can handle not just processes and compliance, but also the relational side of advice.
How regulation, liability, and accreditation will need to evolve as AI steps into roles once reserved for humans.
The emotional side of money and why understanding client behaviour is as important as the numbers.
The potential for AI to support collaboration across professions, from solicitors to accountants, creating a joined-up “team of digital advisors” around the customer.
Helena also shares her belief that service industries, just like retail before them, are on the cusp of massive disruption, and why the firms that embrace AI will be best placed to thrive. With AIDA launching soon, this conversation offers a first look at how AI could democratise access to financial planning and reshape the advisor–client relationship forever.
Chapters:
00:00 Meet Helena Wardle: Chartered Financial Planner
01:32 The Birth of Money Means: A FinTech Solution
02:36 Creating AIDA: The AI Digital Advisor
04:01 AI in Financial Advice: Challenges and Opportunities
06:40 Expert Trained Models: The Future of AI
08:23 The Disruption of Service Industries by AI
13:57 Training AI for Financial Exams
16:29 Regulation and Liability in AI Financial Advice
19:45 The Ethical Considerations of AI
21:13 Emotional Banking: Understanding Money's Emotional Impact
22:25 Incorporating Emotional Intelligence in Financial Planning
25:25 Personalising Financial Advice with AI
30:20 The Future of Financial Advice: AI vs Human Advisors
34:27 The Role of AI in Comprehensive Financial Planning
37:08 Launching AIDA: The AI Digital Advisor
39:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Dave and Dharm DeMystify
In this episode, Dave and Dharm sit down with Cristina Pieretti, Head of Digital Content and Innovation at Moody’s, to explore how one of the world’s most data-driven organisations is reimagining itself through Generative AI.
Cristina reveals how Moody’s moved rapidly from early experiments to launching its first commercial GenAI product, the Moody’s Research Assistant, which became the company’s fastest-adopted tool in history. She shares how GenAI now powers everything from developer co-pilots to agentic sales and strategy tools, reshaping how thousands of employees work and think.
The conversation dives deep into:
How Moody’s is embedding GenAI across teams while managing risk, trust, and data integrity.
The cultural shift needed to make AI adoption part of everyone’s job — not just the developers’.
Why agentic systems represent the next big leap for productivity and innovation.
How banks and financial institutions are following suit, with parallels drawn to the early days of cloud adoption.
Cristina’s candid thoughts on the so-called “AI bubble” and why she believes specialisation and high-quality data will separate lasting innovation from hype.
This is a masterclass in how established financial institutions can turn disruption into opportunity, with human creativity and trusted data at the core.
