Mission-Critical Generative AI in Action • Scott Shaw • YOW! 2025

This presentation was recorded at YOW! Australia 2025. #GOTOcon #YOW https://yowcon.com Scott Shaw - Crew Lead, GenAI Platform at Commonwealth Bank ORIGINAL TALK TITLE Mission-Critical Generative AI in Action: Delivering Safety, Reliability, and Customer Value RESOURCES https://github.com/scottwshaw https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-shaw-b4003a4 Links https://www.cio.com/article/3850763/88-of-ai-pilots-fail-to-reach-production-but-thats-not-all-on-it.html https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ninety-percent-of-ceos-are-waiting-for-genai-to-move-past-the-hype-or-experimenting-in-small-ways-302033314.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonsnyder/2025/08/26/mit-finds-95-of-genai-pilots-fail-because-companies-avoid-friction https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/foundry/openai/concepts/model-retirements ABSTRACT In the rapidly evolving landscape of generative AI, financial services organisations face unique challenges when implementing these technologies at enterprise scale within Australia's regulated environment. This presentation explores deploying mission-critical generative AI applications that balance safety and regulatory requirements with tangible customer value, addressing the practical realities of resilience, cost efficiency, model selection optimisation, and ensuring high availability in resource-constrained environments. Drawing from real-world experiences, we'll tackle the often-overlooked challenge of resource scarcity while examining effective approaches to navigating complex organisational dynamics, managing stakeholder expectations, and cutting through the hype surrounding generative AI. Throughout, our focus remains on the ultimate goal: creating superior customer experiences in financial services where trust, service excellence, and operational stability must coexist. [...] TIMECODES 00:00 Intro 05:01 GenAI goldrush 06:30 Platform problem space 11:16 Platform 18:53 Engineering under new constraints 26:22 Evolving engineering practice 33:00 What this means for organisations 36:00 Outro Read the full abstract here: https://yowcon.com/brisbane-2025/sessions/3901 RECOMMENDED BOOKS Phil Winder • Reinforcement Learning • https://amzn.to/3t1S1VZ Jay Wengrow • A Common-Sense Guide to AI Engineering • https://pragprog.com/titles/jwpaieng Kurt Dowswell • Programming with GitHub Copilot • https://amzn.to/3TM2HaL https://bsky.app/profile/gotocon.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/goto- https://www.instagram.com/goto_con https://www.facebook.com/GOTOConferences #GenAI #GenerativeAI #AIChallenges #LLM #ScottShaw CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUS Join this channel to get early access to videos & other perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/join Looking for a unique learning experience? Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket at https://gotopia.tech Sign up for updates and specials at https://gotopia.tech/newsletter SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL - new videos posted almost daily. https://www.youtube.com/user/GotoConferences/?sub_confirmation=1