Transforming Lincoln Financials' Gen-AI Powered CX with AWS & Deloitte

Lincoln Financial's AI Journey

Early Approach and Lessons Learned

• Lincoln Financial started their AI strategy early, with multiple leadership and education sessions in 2023-2024
• Initially, they took a conservative approach to understand risks around data, privacy, and regulations
• Over time, as they gained more pattern recognition, they were able to expand their risk aperture and move faster with Gen-AI use cases

Workforce Enablement and Change Management

• Established a tight partnership with HR to roll out an "Inspire AI" program for workforce training and education
• Provided role-specific training on Gen-AI use cases to make it tangible and practical for different business functions
• Leveraged a "crowd enablement" approach, including in-person and recorded training sessions to get everyone involved

Aligning on Strategic Priorities and ROI

• Brought business and IT leaders together to align on a strategic ROI framework and prioritization model for Gen-AI use cases
• Focused on balancing big bets with the ability to test and learn quickly, aiming for production deployments to get the best feedback
• Increased appetite for refactoring capabilities every 6 months to keep up with the rapid technology cycle

Organizational Transformation and Operating Model

Centralized AI and Data Capabilities

• Established a centralized Data Office to help unlock value trapped between organizational silos and build end-to-end data science competencies
• Took a three-pronged approach:
  1. Common, scalable platforms and user journeys
  2. Vertical, business-specific use cases
  3. Democratized, self-service Gen-AI tools for the "crowd"

Federated Organization Alignment

• Navigated the challenges of a federated organizational structure by:
  • Ensuring all stakeholders were at the table for decision-making
  • Identifying common user journeys and foundational platforms
  • Empowering business units to innovate on vertical use cases
  • Providing self-service Gen-AI tools for the broader workforce

Key Use Cases and Outcomes

Distribution and Customer Experience

• Focused on improving the experience for financial advisors and independent agents
• Developed a Gen-AI powered "knowledge assistant" to help advisors quickly find information on products, rates, and policies
• Iteratively improved the solution, starting at 70% accuracy and reaching 95% through close business-IT collaboration
• Gained valuable lessons on building the AI infrastructure, including model selection, observability, and refactoring

HR and Workplace Solutions

• Explored Gen-AI use cases in HR and workplace solutions, but quickly realized that off-the-shelf tools were a better fit than building in-house
• Focused on identifying the right balance between building vs. buying to maximize value and minimize effort

The Road Ahead

Scaling and Expanding Gen-AI Capabilities

• Plan to focus on 2-3 key "end-to-end" journeys to take to scale in 2026, such as:
  • Enhancing the distribution and sales experience
  • Optimizing workplace and group benefits solutions
  • Improving the AI-powered SDLC and internal IT processes
• Building an "innovation platform" to accelerate the feedback loop and scale Gen-AI solutions
  • Increase cycle time for responding to user feedback
  • Integrate security and quality controls systematically
  • Demonstrate tangible business impact to drive further adoption

Key Takeaways

• Lincoln Financial took a strategic, top-down approach to their Gen-AI transformation, with strong leadership commitment and alignment
• They focused on building foundational capabilities, upskilling the workforce, and balancing big bets with the ability to test and learn quickly
• The organization navigated the challenges of a federated structure by identifying common platforms, empowering business units, and democratizing Gen-AI tools
• Key use cases in distribution and customer experience demonstrated the value of Gen-AI, while also providing valuable lessons on building the underlying infrastructure
• Looking ahead, Lincoln is focused on scaling and expanding their Gen-AI capabilities across critical business journeys, underpinned by an "innovation platform" to accelerate the feedback loop and demonstrate tangible impact