From Idea to Impact: A Strategic Framework for GenAI Intake
A leading US bank turned a surge of generative AI ideas into a structured intake process—transforming innovation from fragmented proposals into investment-ready opportunities.
The Challenge
As generative AI moved from pilots to enterprise priority, dozens of use case proposals surfaced across the bank. But there was no consistent way to evaluate them for feasibility, compliance, or strategic alignment.
Without a defined intake process, the bank risked:
- Fragmented investments
- Misallocated resources
- Delayed realization of value
Innovation was outpacing governance.
The Solution
Rational Exponent designed and implemented a formal GenAI Intake Framework—a structured, end-to-end process to manage AI proposals from submission through decision-making.
Key features included:
- Multi-Phase Workflow — Guided use cases through assessment, triage, refinement, and governance checkpoints.
- Evaluation Dimensions — Included feasibility, benefit potential, technical readiness, risk posture, and regulatory alignment.
- Centralized Submission — Ensured traceability, transparency, and repeatability.
- Unified Rubric — Supported cross-functional engagement and prioritization.
The framework created a single front door for generative AI, aligning business ambition with enterprise control.
The Outcome
The bank transformed intake from a reactive bottleneck into a strategic filter—identifying and prioritizing the right AI initiatives to accelerate and scale.
- Business leaders gained clarity on what makes a use case investment-ready
- Compliance and risk were embedded from the outset
- Technology teams could plan proactively rather than react defensively
- Executives invested in AI with confidence, grounded in governance and economics
Insight
The defining constraint in AI isn’t compute—it’s institutional clarity.
Without a disciplined intake mechanism, ideas remain noise. With one, they become vetted opportunities—unlocking advantage not by saying “yes” to everything, but by knowing what to say “yes” to.