Sunwest Bank moves on AI in search of efficiencies

Core Insights - The foundation of digital transformation in the AI era is centered around clean data, which will be a focus for Sunwest Bank's AI strategy in 2026 [1] - Major banks like Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup are investing heavily in AI to enhance workflows and productivity, a direction that Sunwest Bank is also pursuing [2] Company Initiatives - Sunwest Bank, a privately held commercial bank based in Sandy, Utah, appointed Ben Xiang as Chief Technology and Strategy Officer in September 2025 to lead its modernization efforts [3] - One of the key projects includes the implementation of Microsoft Copilot powered by OpenAI's GPT-5 model, which aims to centralize information for employees [4] - The bank's AI strategy involves creating a data lake to connect disparate data sources, which will facilitate advanced workflows and data analytics [4][5] Productivity Goals - The primary objective is to identify existing workflows that can benefit from automation and intelligence tools, while avoiding investments in projects that do not yield business results [6] - Xiang is focusing on "low-hanging fruit" and projects with the highest likelihood of success to ensure effective allocation of resources [6]