5 questions with … Kasper Tjorntved Davidsen, CAIO and head of AI at Danske Bank

Danske Bank is deploying AI to improve customer service and increase efficiency, with a clear goal. The Danish bank’s goal is 2 billion Danish krone ($308.5 million) in AI value generated, which includes money saved and revenue generated, by end of 2028, Kasper Tjorntved Davidsen , chief AI officer and head of AI, told FinAi News . [caption id="attachment_57388851" align="alignright" width="300"] Kasper Tjorntved Davidsen, chief AI officer and head of AI at Danske Bank[/caption] “We are already seeing AI create real outcomes,” Davidsen said. “For customers, that should mean simpler, faster and more personalized banking, [and] for colleagues it should mean AI becoming part of everyday work, helping them spend more time where their expertise matters most.” Danske has over 40 AI use cases live, Davidsen said, adding that it works with Amazon Web Services for its AI needs and has deployed AI in processes including: Personalized banking; Customer service; Fraud detection; and Developer productivity tools. “The next phase is about making successful capabilities repeatable and embedding AI deep into core business processes,” he said. “That's where strong foundations become critical, and where our collaboration with AWS plays an important role in helping us scale AI across the organization.” Ultimately, responsible AI adoption at Danske should feel “as natural as sending an email,” Davidsen said. What follows is an edited version of the conversation Davidsen had with FinAi News about the AI plan at the $602 billion bank . FinAi News : Where is AI delivering the most tangible value for customers today, and where do you expect the biggest impact over the next two to three years? Kasper Tjorntved Davidsen : AI value shows up clearly in the customer experience through faster responses, more relevant interactions and better support for colleagues serving customers. But many of those improvements are enabled by what happens behind the scenes. In my view, around 85% of the potential lies in optimizing and re-engineering processes, strengthening core capabilities and enabling AI at scale across the enterprise. Over the next two to three years, the biggest impact will come from connecting those capabilities across entire customer journeys. That means making banking simpler, more personalized and more proactive for customers, while also improving how we as a bank deliver services seamlessly across business segments. FinAi News: How do you balance the pace of AI adoption with the governance and trust expectations that come with operating in a highly regulated industry? KTD : We don't see governance and speed as competing priorities. In fact, we've found that the fastest way to move is to build governance into the foundation from the beginning. In banking, trust is one of our most important assets. AI therefore needs to operate within clear expectations around security, compliance, accountability and customer protection. Those elements cannot be added afterward, but need to be embedded into how solutions are designed and delivered. FinAi News: What has the journey from experimentation to production taught you about what successful AI initiatives that scale need? KTD : One of the biggest lessons is that moving AI into production requires much more than a promising use case or a good model. People need to understand how an AI solution can solve a real challenge in their work and lead to better outcomes. Delivering that impact requires clear ownership and a willingness to redesign processes, change behaviors and rethink how decisions are made. These lessons are reflected in how we approach our AI lighthouses. They focus on high-impact opportunities where we are delivering against clear business outcomes, building the capability properly and making it easier for other parts of the bank to reuse what already works. We have moved from learning what is possible to scaling what can be trusted, adopted and reused across the bank. FinAi News: What does "governed delivery" of AI look like in practice at Danske Bank, and how do you avoid governance becoming a bottleneck to speed? KTD : In practice, governed delivery means giving teams a clear path to build, deploy and reuse AI safely. Through AI City, they can use approved patterns, shared controls, builder kits and common capabilities for areas such as monitoring, evaluation, security and standards. That reduces the need to redesign governance for every use case and helps teams understand what good looks like before they start building. FinAi News: How do you see AI reshaping competition at banks? Is it more about cost efficiency, customer experience, speed to market or something else? KTD : I don’t think it is one thing. AI will reshape cost efficiency, customer experience and speed to market at the same time. But I see AI less as a competitive moat in itself and more as a capability enhancer and transformational catalyst. The real advantage comes from using AI to strengthen what already sets us apart: our customer insight, data, risk expertise, culture, people and ability to execute. The banks that stand apart will be those that can apply AI through their core strengths and scale it responsibly. Editor’s note: All amounts have been converted to U.S. dollars. FinAi Lending Summit, set for Oct. 7-8 in Las Vegas, will include speakers from Fifth Third and Capital One as well as a fireside chat with U.S. Bank Senior Vice President – Lending Operations Group Manager Suzanne Rathbun . To learn more about the 2026 event and register, visit here.

5 questions with … Kasper Tjorntved Davidsen, CAIO and head of AI at Danske Bank

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5 questions with … Kasper Tjorntved Davidsen, CAIO and head of AI at Danske Bank

Danish bank plans to generate $308M of AI value by end of 2028

Grab to buy 60% of Atome Financial for $1.49B in consumer lending push

Brody Gapp’s James Brody to speak at FinAi Lending Summit

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