SVP, Director of AI/ML Model Development & Operations
Fifth Third Bank

Jay Budzik is Senior Vice President, AI/ML Model Development and Operations at Fifth Third Bank, the ninth‑largest in the US by assets.  Jay oversees AI model development and operations for consumer credit and the back office and plays a key role in shaping the consumer data strategy, including the modernization of analytics platforms and decisioning systems. Prior to his role at Fifth Third, Jay was Chief Technology Officer at Zest AI, where he led the data science, engineering, and product management teams that pioneered the use of artificial intelligence in underwriting, serving clients such as Freddie Mac, Citibank, Truist, Discover, and more than 100 regional banks and credit unions. He holds over 40 patents in applied AI, earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Northwestern University, and has a B.S. in Computer Science with honors from The University of Chicago.