AustralianSuper hires first head of AI to lead strategic technology and risk management.

AustralianSuper has hired its first head of artificial intelligence as Australia’s largest pension fund moves to build internal expertise around a technology that is rapidly reshaping finance, investing and customer service. The appointment underscores how large retirement funds are increasingly treating AI not just as an efficiency tool, but as a strategic issue with implications for risk, governance and long-term member outcomes.

The move comes as pension funds and other financial institutions face growing pressure to adapt to fast-changing technology while keeping systems secure and decisions transparent. According to Bloomberg’s reporting on AustralianSuper, the fund’s new AI role is part of a broader push to understand how machine learning and related tools could affect everything from operations to investment processes. For a fund responsible for managing retirement savings at enormous scale, the stakes are high: AI could help improve productivity and analysis, but it could also introduce new vulnerabilities if not managed carefully.

That tension was echoed on the banking side by JPMorgan Chase’s global chief information officer, Lori Beer, who said AI is creating a major leadership challenge even as it delivers clear productivity gains. In comments reported by Bloomberg, Beer said the technology is accelerating change inside the bank and forcing managers to balance speed with caution. Her remarks reflect a wider reality across financial services: institutions want to capture the benefits of AI, but they also have to contain risks tied to data use, errors, security and oversight.

Beer also said the pace of change in technology has intensified sharply, including over the past year, and that the rapid shift can create anxiety even as demand for new tools remains strong. That view helps explain why organisations such as AustralianSuper are moving to appoint dedicated AI executives rather than leaving the issue solely to technology teams. The goal is increasingly to have senior leadership focused on how AI is adopted, governed and aligned with the organisation’s broader responsibilities.

For pension funds, the issue matters beyond internal efficiency. Retirement systems hold the savings of millions of workers, and any technology that influences customer communications, portfolio management or back-office processing can have wide-reaching effects. As Bloomberg’s reporting suggests, the industry is now racing to adapt to a technology shift that is no longer theoretical. The question for large funds like AustralianSuper is not whether AI will matter, but how quickly they can put the right structures in place to use it safely and effectively.