Ever wondered what Data + Artificial Intelligence (AI) 'experts' do? Interested in how data and AI powers are making the bank safer and simpler?
Here is a look into this world with NAB's Prompt Engineer (GenAI Program), Lily.
My alarm goes off…
7am.
If I'm working from home, it's breakfast first (currently yogurt, muesli, blueberries, and a banana) then into the bathroom for my skin care routine that has been crafted over years of watching influencers on YouTube. Then on to my walking pad while I answer emails and get set up for the day. If I'm heading to the office, I love to take a walk to the train station with my partner before the day starts.
I am responsible for…
Designing and refining instructions (or 'prompts') given to AI models, like chat bots.
My role is to design and build out fully realised GenAI solutions to ultimately improve our customer experience. Currently, I'm helping to improve the home loan application experience for our credit assessors with the help of GenAI. It's an ongoing responsibility to be on the lookout for new techniques and products to help give our customers the best product on the market and to ensure my skills are always up to date in a rapidly changing field.
I got my job…
After a very long journey!
I was originally going to be a nurse but found a love for physics in my honor's year. I picked up my life and moved to Melbourne to start afresh. Four years and a global pandemic later, I found myself at Accenture as a consultant for my graduate year. I always had an interest in AI and had worked with it in my intern year at NAB and during my capstone project for my degree. As companies started building out their Generative AI capabilities, I realised I wanted to be on the front lines, so I interviewed to head back to NAB.
My typical day…
Is so varied. There's no such thing as a typical day! This is such a new space and is changing day-to-day.
It can range from a full day of coding: head down, locked in, Chappell Roan on in the background, to other days that are full day of meetings where I'm working with the delivery team to understand their use cases and how GenAI can be part of their journey. I might be researching a particular topic and understanding how we can implement it in our use cases or looking at results and 'playing them back' to the team so we stay on track.
Best/quirkiest thing about my job…
Is GenAI.
We have this tool that is revolutionising not only the way we do work but the way we are thinking about the Data and AI space as a whole. It's wild to me that I get to work with it every day.
Best impact my team has made for customers…
The way we think about GenAI and the benefit it can bring to customers.
Sometimes people think this tool can do everything, that we're a week away from 'iRobot'. That's not where we are though. GenAI is a tool in a very large toolbox that has been growing over the years. Admittedly a very powerful tool, but it doesn't mean we use GenAI for everything. It would be a disservice to our customers to stay in that mindset.
My most memorable moment…
Is this whole year.
2024 has been a wild year for me in my career as well as in my personal life. In one year, I've bought a house, got a new job in a crazy field, and I'm planning a wedding. I won't forget this year in a hurry.
Most important skill for this career…
A sense of creativity.
I think GenAI is the perfect intersections between science and creativity. You could have all the technical skills in the world but if you don't understand how language works and how to think of new ways to approach a problem, you'll get stuck.
Plan B…
Has always been an astronaut.
I still have such a love of space. It was the catalyst that started me on this journey, and I wouldn't be here without it.
Lily's story is part of NAB's annual Data + AI Month, hosted by the Data & Analytics Guild. It's an in-house series of data centric events that showcase the capabilities at NAB through learning and development sessions, panel discussions and partner demonstrations.
