Commonwealth Bank appoints Professor Mary-Anne Williams as its first Chief AI Scientist

Commonwealth Bank (CommBank) has appointed Professor Mary-Anne Williams as its first Chief AI Scientist following an extensive global search.

Professor Williams is one of Australia’s most internationally recognised AI researchers, with deep expertise spanning AI, agentic AI, human-AI collaboration, decision-making and innovation. She joins CommBank from UNSW, where she is currently the Michael J Crouch Chair for Innovation, Founder and Lead of the UNSW Business AI Lab, and Deputy Director of the UNSW AI Institute.

Professor Williams is also a Fellow at Stanford University and a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), one of the peak international bodies for AI research.

As Chief AI Scientist, Professor Williams will lead CommBank’s team of Distinguished AI Scientists – a group of globally experienced researchers specialising in machine learning, responsible AI, AI security and generative AI. She will play a central role in shaping CommBank’s AI research agenda, attracting and developing world-class AI talent and supporting the continued application of responsible AI across the bank.

Her appointment follows a model established by leading global technology and financial services companies in the United States, which have recruited senior AI leaders directly from academia, recognising that frontier research expertise is essential to building and scaling AI responsibly. Professor Williams’ move to CommBank brings that same approach to an Australian bank for the first time.

Professor Williams’ career spans frontier research, global industry partnerships, robotics, startup advisory work, and the practical application of AI across business, government, and society. Her research focuses on transforming how organisations manage and orchestrate generative AI agents to drive innovation, an area of growing importance as businesses move from experimenting with AI to deploying it at scale.

“Mary-Anne is one of Australia’s most respected AI leaders and brings a rare combination of academic leadership, commercial insight, and deep technical expertise that will help accelerate our AI strategy.  She will help us explore the boundaries of what’s possible with AI while taking a leadership role in the continued application of responsible AI in ways that make a real difference for our customers,” Boteju said

Professor Williams said: “CommBank has built one of the most advanced AI capabilities of any bank in the world, and I’m excited to be joining at such a pivotal moment. The opportunity to work alongside exceptional technologists and researchers and help shape how AI is applied at scale for millions of Australians is a genuine privilege. My focus will be on advancing our understanding of the societal implications of AI and supporting continued responsible AI innovation across CommBank.”

Professor Williams will start with CommBank on 15 June 2026.