BMO AI Chief Explains Path to Returns on AI Investment

As traditional financial institutions accelerate their digital transformation, artificial intelligence is moving beyond experimentation to create tangible business value. Bank of Montreal, or BMO, is at the forefront of the trend and is working to turn AI into measurable investment returns. With financial institutions facing both high technology costs and shifting markets, quantifying the results of AI spending and ensuring that it drives business growth have become key issues for the global fintech industry.

BMO Chief AI Officer Kristin Milchanowski said on July 9, 2026, that before an AI project begins, the bank requires agreement with business leaders that it can increase revenue or reduce costs by at least one basis point, or 0.01%. BMO has also launched an intelligent investment advisory tool called M, expanding its use of AI beyond back-office automation into an enhanced client-facing tool that provides trading and investment recommendations.