Allegra Driscoll, the chief technology officer of Bread Financial, has a few ground rules when engaging with software vendors about generative AI capabilities. No agreements beyond one year, given the rapid pace of change. There will be times when she’ll double-spend on two vendors with similar capabilities if the use case is a priority and Driscoll wants to see who is more likely to deliver.
And the core focus of her conversations with vendors is also evolving. In 2023, at the start of the generative AI boom, Driscoll would discuss a software provider’s AI roadmap, key milestones, and what an investment would look like for the provider of private-label and co-branded credit cards. But now, there’s far more focus around how platforms are designed, talks Driscoll describes as almost philosophical.
