Interview with Brad Mallard (Version 1): Embedding Trusted AI in High-Stakes Industries

Version 1's Focus & AI Evolution

• 💡 Version 1 is a digital and AI transformation specialist with 3,500 people, primarily serving regulated industries like public sector, financial services, and utilities in the UK, Ireland, and US.
• 🧠 Brad Mallard notes the shift from traditional machine learning to generative and agentic AI, emphasizing solving business problems and delivering value over technology-only approaches.

Hurdles to Enterprise AI Adoption

• ⚠️ Many organizations initially focus on technology deployment (e.g., Copilot) without establishing proper foundations.
• 🔑 Sustainable and responsible innovation requires strong foundations in data, security, people, skills, policies, regulations, guide rails, and platforms.
• 🎯 Version 1's approach helps clients build these foundations, enabling business-first, value-centric delivery and return on investment.

The Credo AI Partnership

• 🤝 Version 1 chose Credo AI after market analysis for its strong credentials, relationships, and ability to manage the complex, evolving global regulatory landscape (e.g., EU AI Act, UK, US states) more efficiently than in-house solutions.
• ✅ Internally, Version 1 uses Credo AI to ensure compliance for its own projects and client solutions, covering areas like HR, finance, and content writing.

Managing AI Risks & Trust

• 📈 In regulated industries, key AI risks include accuracy, data protection, and compliance with regulations like the EU AI Act, which carries significant financial penalties.
• 💡 AI governance is presented as the "infrastructure of trust," encompassing enabling trusted AI adoption, mitigating risks, and ensuring compliance.
• 🚀 Trust acts as a strategic advantage, accelerating decision-making, speeding up time to market, and enabling rapid productionization of AI solutions, leading to significant ROI.

Agentic AI & Future Outlook

• 🤖 Agentic AI is emerging but faces challenges related to security risks (e.g., taking on personas), data integrity, and the need for robust, automated checks and balances.
• 🛠️ Embedding clever governance and risk technology like Credo AI into pipelines and processes is critical for managing agentic AI at scale and ensuring ongoing compliance.
• ✨ The partnership aims to disrupt by enabling clients to achieve rapid, responsible transformation and move AI solutions to production at unprecedented speeds by building trust into the core infrastructure.