Introduction
Generative AI (GenAI) has the potential to revolutionise many aspects of society and industry and is being extensively explored for adoption in the financial services industry. Despite its transformative potential, GenAI poses significant risks if not properly managed. Traditional verification, validation and monitoring methodologies are inadequate for modern, complex AI systems, necessitating the development of new frameworks and allied tooling that address these challenges comprehensively. Several GenAI model risk management (MRM) frameworks and tools exist, but there is a deficit in the capability to operationalise them within specific contexts such as jurisdiction and use cases. This project aims to test and evaluate existing MRM GenAI systems within the context of the financial services industry.
Explaining the science
Effectively managing Model Risk in Generative AI demands a comprehensive, multi-dimensional strategy that integrates rigorous evaluation, benchmarking and mitigation. This approach should address the following key dimensions:
- Efficacy and Robustness
Assess the model’s performance consistency across a variety of conditions and its resilience to anomalies or adversarial inputs. A robust GenAI system should deliver reliable, high-quality outputs even under stress or when encountering unfamiliar data. - Explainability and Transparency
Ensure the model's decision-making processes are understandable and well-documented. Transparency enables stakeholders to trust the system by making its inner workings, logic and rationale accessible and interpretable. - Privacy and Security
Safeguard sensitive data through strong privacy controls and security mechanisms. This includes preventing data leakage, ensuring data minimisation, and complying with relevant privacy laws and regulations.* - Fairness and Bias Mitigation
Promote equitable outcomes by evaluating the model’s behaviour across diverse populations and use cases. The goal is to identify and mitigate any systemic biases that could lead to unfair or discriminatory outputs. - Sustainability
Evaluate the environmental, social and economic footprint of GenAI systems. This involves optimising for energy efficiency and considering broader impacts, such as carbon emissions, societal shifts and resource use. - Legal Compliance and Intellectual Property
Ensure the model adheres to applicable laws and respects intellectual property rights. This includes verifying that the content it generates does not violate copyright, trademark or other legal protections.
Project aims
This project aims to test and evaluate existing MRM GenAI systems within the context of the financial services industry. The specific objectives include:
- Assessment of GenAI Risk Management Frameworks: Identify and evaluate existing GenAI MRM Frameworks and tools in terms of their capability to support the measurement and management of Generative AI risk in defined use cases.
- Guidance on the use of current GenAI MRM Frameworks: Provide guidance on which aspects of existing frameworks are best suited for different use cases within the financial services industry. Identify areas where there is a lack of clarity in the implementation of recommendations and guidance within these frameworks.
- Operationalisation of GenAI MRM Frameworks: Provide guidance on how to operationalise framework recommendations. This involves creating metrics and indicators for various aspects such as bias, privacy and other critical factors identified during the project.
- Practical application of GenAI MRM Frameworks in practice: Design and coordinate workshops that explore the application of frameworks and tooling in the identified use cases.
- Identifying the opportunities and challenges of operationalising GenAI MRM Frameworks: Evaluate, through analysis of the demonstration workshops, the value and challenges of current frameworks and tools.
Applications
This project aims to support the financial services industry by developing practical tools and frameworks to assess, manage and mitigate the risks associated with the use of Generative AI in specific real-world applications. By addressing concerns around safety, compliance and reliability, the project will empower organisations to adopt these technologies with greater confidence, enabling more responsible, secure and effective integration of Generative AI into financial workflows.