What happens when you bring together one of the world’s most customer-focused banking teams and some of the most practical minds in AI? You don’t just talk about the future, you build it.
At Inference Group, we recently partnered with HSBC’s Onboarding team for a hands-on AI workshop that blended strategy, creativity, and execution. It wasn’t a slide-deck parade. It was a roll-up-your-sleeves, get-stuck-in, let’s-build-something-together session that delivered more than just inspiration; it sparked momentum. And yet, what made it different wasn’t just the flashy demos or frameworks, it was the shift from “what if” to “what next.” Here’s how it unfolded.
Starting with Possibility: Bespoke AI Product Demos
The day began not with theory, but with immersion. Four bespoke AI demos, each reflecting HSBC’s operational landscape, gave participants a hands-on look at how AI can help automate repetitive tasks, surface customer insights, and unlock efficiencies.
From streamlining data workflows to enhancing customer insight, each demo was tailored to challenges and opportunities the specific HSBC team could relate to.
Richard, who brings years of direct experience from the banking sector, guided the session, ensuring the insights were grounded in the realities of regulated, customer-facing environments.
From Vision to Strategy: Lean Value Tree
With excitement sparked, we shifted gears into structured strategy. Using our Lean Value Tree model, the team mapped out a journey from HSBC’s bold customer vision through to specific, measurable initiatives, each one aligned to outcomes that matter.
Together with the HSBC team, we defined high-level goals and worked down to strategic "bets" and specific initiatives. This allowed the group to prioritise ideas not just based on excitement, but based on alignment with business value and feasibility.
Mapping the Experience: Customer & Operational Insights
With a clear strategic lens, we moved into Customer Journey Mapping, surfacing key moments, pain points, and opportunities across the onboarding experience. These conversations, facilitated by Inference Group, helped spotlight where AI could make the biggest impact from the customer’s point of view.
We then flipped the perspective to operations with Value Stream Mapping, exploring internal workflows behind the scenes. This allowed the team to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas ripe for automation or augmentation.
Turning Ideas into Actionable Projects
The final stage of the workshop was all about solutions. Using a structured Solution Ideation and Ranking process, the group explored a wide range of ideas, from quick wins to longer-term opportunities.
Each idea was evaluated based on ease of implementation and potential business value, allowing the team to co-create a balanced roadmap of AI initiatives that matched both ambition and reality.
Conversations Over Lunch: Culture, Curiosity and Productivity
We wrapped the session over a relaxed lunch, with open discussion around broader trends in AI and how they relate to productivity, collaboration, and innovation in financial services.
It was fantastic to see such thoughtful engagement from the HSBC team throughout, combining openness to new ideas with a strong understanding of what matters most for their customers and colleagues.
Ready to Build Your Own AI Roadmap?
Whether you're in financial services, logistics, healthcare, or the public sector, AI won’t wait for you to get ready. That’s why Inference Group’s AI Roadmap Workshops are designed to be practical, immersive, and outcomes-driven.
You’ll leave not with “what AI could do,” but a roadmap of what it will do, mapped to your goals, risks, and capabilities. You’ll know what to build, what to buy, what to monitor, and most importantly, where to begin.
Get in touch to explore what your AI journey could look like. Let’s turn ambition into action.
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