LBBW centralises video production with Synthesia

For a bank, choosing an AI tool is only the beginning. The real test is introducing it in a way that holds up to scrutiny across the organisation. LBBW passed that test, then watched its business units take Synthesia and run with it.

The challenge

"We got a request from one of our business units," says Jana Becker, AI Product and Project Consultant at LBBW. "Specifically, the idea was to produce more videos. However, it turned out that doing so would have been very costly and time-consuming."

Cost was only the first obstacle. The second came with being a regulated bank.

"In a regulated environment like a bank, you have to take care very early of topics around data protection, information security, IT security, questions concerning the works council, but also various legal topics," she says.

The shift

Jana owned both problems: finding an affordable way to produce video, and making sure the tool could pass the bank's regulatory checks. As the link between LBBW's business units and its technology providers, she became involved throughout the whole process from the first problem workshop through vendor sourcing and selection to implementation.

The search began with a comprehensive market screening. Synthesia stood out as one of the most established companies in the field, already working with several large German enterprises.

"That was of course also a very positive sign for us," says Jana. "In the end, it was really the overall package of feature set, market maturity, and experience."

That settled the commercial question. LBBW tackled the regulatory one from the start, and didn't stop at approval. The relevant stakeholders tested Synthesia themselves early on, so they could form their own picture of it.

"They didn't just have to assess the risks," Jana says, "but could also judge for themselves what the functionality and usage of such a tool actually look like."

LBBW then rolled Synthesia out centrally, with one set of rules for every team.

"We wanted to provide clear guidelines and uniform governance for everyone right from the start," she says. "With that, we wanted to make sure that Synthesia would be used in a compliant way from day one."

The impact

When LBBW first presented a Synthesia video, people were both surprised and curious. They were astonished at how real an AI likeness of a real person could look. In the same breath, they asked when it made sense to use an avatar, and when it didn't.

"It was actually very good that LBBW got into such discussions so early," says Jana.

The response was very positive, and business units wanted to start producing their own videos straight away. Today, LBBW uses Synthesia mainly for internal communication: videos on the intranet, Personal Avatars at events, and training when new products or processes are introduced. The results show up in four ways.

More video, fewer slides. "Since we introduced Synthesia, one of the most obvious changes is that more videos are now being created," says Jana. Where teams once used a PowerPoint, they now often create a video.

Production in-house. "Since introducing Synthesia, we've been saving a lot of time. Where we used to have lots of feedback loops with external agencies, we can now produce videos quicker and cheaper."

Translation without agencies. Translation has become one of the biggest use cases. What used to take considerable effort with external agencies now happens in Synthesia. "What personally really excites me is how easily and quickly you can produce a video with Synthesia," says Jana. "And not only in your own language, but also in many other languages, so that we can easily reach many colleagues at LBBW as well."

Ideas from the business. "In the past, we gave more direction about how Synthesia could be used. Today, more of the ideas come to us from the business units," she says. "That's a very good sign for us, because you can tell the technology has arrived in everyday work."

Why it matters

LBBW's approach is a model for any organisation introducing AI in a regulated environment: answer the hard questions early, govern centrally, and let the business take it from there.

Jana's advice to peers is simple. "We would recommend that other companies in a regulated environment involve the relevant stakeholders early: not just in the approval process, but already in testing."

Her verdict on the platform is just as direct.

"Synthesia significantly lowers the barrier to producing a professional video. Today, we no longer need a speaker, or a camera to produce a video."