Gen AI implementation in a regulated industry:
a strategic and collaborative approach

This case study demonstrates how thoughtful AI implementation and cross-functional collaboration can drive efficiency, elevate creativity, and deliver measurable impact in a regulated industry.

The Scenario

In regulated industries, creativity and innovation often move cautiously. The challenge is rarely about whether generative AI can transform workflows—it’s about how to implement it responsibly without compromising risk, legal, or compliance standards.

At the time, my organization—a mid-sized regional bank—was beginning to emphasize AI fluency. After attending AdobeMAX 2024, Adobe’s flagship creativity conference, and earning my Generative AI badge, I returned with a vision: leverage AI to reduce production bottlenecks and accelerate delivery, while still meeting the requirements of a highly regulated environment.

The potential was clear. AI could streamline repetitive creative tasks—photo resizing, distraction removal, and quick animation of static content—freeing our team to focus on higher-value creative thinking. The challenge was getting it approved and implemented responsibly.

The Situation

To move from vision to action, I first researched Adobe Creative Cloud license holders across the enterprise and surveyed potential users, from marketing creatives to UX designers, the web administrator, and the learning & development team. This helped pinpoint where the AI could deliver immediate business value.

I translated those insights into a business case supported by visual examples, balancing efficiency gains with creative opportunities. To demonstrate due diligence, I incorporated Adobe’s AI ethics and governance standards to address risk, compliance, and trust considerations upfront.

With that foundation, I presented to the newly formed AI Working Group and engaged Risk, Legal, and InfoSec to refine the framework. By integrating their perspectives, I secured alignment on brand, compliance, and licensing requirements. This groundwork paved the way for CMO approval, technical implementation with InfoSec, and thorough testing before rollout.

The Final Story

The implementation delivered immediate and measurable impact:

• 95% reduction in campaign image resizing time for the website administrator

• 50% reduction in ad resizing effort for the creative team, plus 75% time savings when converting an oversized branch window sign into animated digital screens

• Static social ads could now be quickly adapted into motion, expanding engagement opportunities

• “Enhanced speech” elevated internal video quality, making it sound professional.—a value-add we hadn’t anticipated

These wins didn’t just cut production time—they elevated the creative team’s role. By training the team on the new AI tools, I ensured adoption went beyond compliance. AI became a creative competitive advantage, empowering the team to work smarter, faster, and at a higher skill level.

The lesson: in regulated industries, successful AI adoption is less about speed and more about strategy. Through thoughtful persistence, cross-functional collaboration, and a clear business case, I turned potential barriers into opportunities. Most importantly, I left behind not only measurable efficiency gains but also a more AI-fluent creative team prepared to innovate responsibly.