We sat down with Lucile Flamand for a chat about what really makes AI transformation stick. As the former Chief Transformation Officer at Bibby Financial Services, she was responsible for overseeing transformation initiatives across nine countries, Lucile discovered that resistance to AI stems less from change management challenges and more from an education gap.
People don’t resist what they understand and see value in. When organisations present clear use cases that address genuine problems that colleagues encounter daily, scepticism quickly transforms into enthusiasm. Teams begin asking “what else can this do?” rather than “why are we doing this?” This shift requires more than mandates or training programmes. It demands clarity on the value proposition, robust data foundations that inspire confidence, and a commitment to keeping humans in the loop throughout implementation.
During our conversation, Lucile noted that customers are increasingly pushing back against businesses deploying AI bots in place of human-led service. In financial services, in particular, one of the sector’s key differentiators lies in relationship depth, expertise, and the ability to recognise when a customer is navigating difficult circumstances. Empathy cannot be coded into an agent. The most effective approach positions AI as an enabler working in the background, equipping colleagues with tools that allow them to focus on distinctly human capabilities, connecting, understanding, and building trust. Frontline staff represent the voice of the customer and should be integral to design decisions. The question organisations should ask is not “what can we automate?” but “what problem are we solving, and does AI genuinely help?”
Want to hear how leading organisations are building AI that their teams embrace? Watch the full interview below to hear how trust begins with education, where human expertise still outperforms automation, and how to convert AI resistance into genuine organisational excitement.
What’s the one problem AI could solve for your team tomorrow?
For more on the fast-growing impact of AI tools and technologies across the financial services sector and beyond, join us at the next FTT AI Transformation, which runs on 9-10 November in London.
