At Synchrony, we are constantly innovating to enhance our consumer experience. Our commitment to innovation strengthens partner relationships and helps consumers achieve their financial and personal goals. Our Generative AI-powered Smart Search pilot is the latest example of the company’s dedication to delighting consumers and helping partners grow. The tool acts as a natural language search driven by user inspiration and powered by Gen AI.

This pilot is a collaboration between our AI technology team and our Product Incubation team, the latter group being focused on building products and solutions at the intersection of consumer expectations, business strategy, design thinking and technology, and explores emerging trends that accelerate business transformation. This team is dedicated to discovering new ways to enhance the lives of consumers, and through initiatives such as this pilot, they are achieving just that.

Smart Shopping Inspiration with Gen AI

Through this initiative, we’re deploying a personalized shopping experience for Synchrony’s Marketplace users with the help of Gen AI. Our first direct-to-consumer Gen AI-powered tool is designed to inspire shoppers in their home furnishing discovery journey. Launched this month, this pilot will enable a group of shoppers visiting Marketplace’s home furnishings section to type in any phrase or theme and instantly receive a curated selection of relevant  products from our partners correlated to their interests, allowing them to find and purchase meaningful home items they may not have previously considered.

These shoppers can input any prompt in the search bar, such as “I want a kitchen inspired by the TV show Mad Men,” “Ideas for a Barbie-themed bedroom,” or even “Mediterranean outdoor furniture for a patio.” Gen AI will act as a “virtual  interior designer” to help retrieve relevant furniture, rugs and décor items from a network of 250 Synchrony partners in the home furnishing space.

Product results are then immediately delivered back to the consumer, allowing shoppers to discover new products, offerings and retailers on Marketplace of which they otherwise might not have been aware.

This pilot is focused on enhancing the experience for both consumers and partners alike, according to Synchrony’s Chief Growth Officer Michael Bopp. “We offer consumers a seamless connection to our partners, sparking shopping inspiration tailored to their personalized preferences. This capability, coupled with our diverse network of partners including small to medium-sized businesses, enhances and serves to build loyalty to Synchrony and our partners for new and existing customers.”

Consequently, our diverse network of partners, including small to medium-sized businesses, enhances and serves to build loyalty among both new and existing customers.”

The creative concept emerged from Synchrony’s most popular hackathon in our history, which featured over 300 Synchrony developers, technologists and leaders across 30 teams worldwide. Synchrony’s Incubation team selected a handful of standout ideas for further exploration, jumpstarting this pilot.

Our efforts in Gen AI won’t stop here. We’re committed to fostering a collaborative environment where employees at all levels can co-create, brainstorm and experiment, embracing design thinking driven by data and customer insights.

Synchrony’s Responsible Approach to Gen AI

Gen AI has immense potential and we remain steadfast in our commitment to approach this new frontier responsibly.

Our cross-functional Responsible AI Governance Group formed in 2019 has been instrumental in setting internal standards while guiding against bias and establishing fair, transparent, and explainable AI. This team has been integral to the development of our smart search tool since the project’s conception.

As we pursue Gen AI projects, Carol Juel, EVP & Chief Technology & Operating Officer, stresses the importance of a people-centered approach. “The opportunity to drive innovation and efficiency is incredible – but it’s critical to ensure a human is always in the loop. Our employees remain in charge. It’s up to everyone working with AI tools to be accountable for the accuracy and quality of the output. We view AI as a tool to augment our work, not replace our people.”

The launch of the Smart Search pilot was enabled by Synchrony’s technology investment in building an internal generative AI platform, promoting centralized controls & policies and a set of tools that teams in the organization can leverage to power new experiences. Synchrony’s responsible approach to Gen AI will be critical to our success, according to Tim Christensen, SVP of Product, Digital, Innovation and AI: “What gets us excited is exploring ways that Gen AI may  create new and unexpected experiences that we couldn’t do before, and where we may  do that in a safe way that protects our customers and their data. Smart Search is a great example where  the variability and non-deterministic aspects of generative AI are being leveraged in an advantageous way to bring a unique product search experience to our customers.

Synchrony recognizes the immense opportunities for Gen AI to help our employees and partners enhance and transform the customer experience. We are excited to lead in this effort, energizing our teams while being a responsible and trusted employer, partner and member of the communities where we work and live.