New York Life’s Don Vu on leveraging AI for client-focused innovation.

New York Life | July 17, 2025

Don Vu, senior vice president and chief data and analytics officer at New York Life, recently joined the Data Chief podcast to discuss how AI and data analytics are transforming operations and client relationships at the company.

Vu highlighted how his past experiences with Major League Baseball and retail startups inform his approach to data quality and governance — critical factors for effectively leveraging AI.

Tackling AI’s “last mile”

Vu noted the toughest challenges often occur after the initial model development — the so-called “last mile problem.” Successfully implementing AI requires careful attention to adoption and integration across business processes.

Enhancing human expertise

Vu spotlighted New York Life’s innovative GuideMe tool, which assists agents in client meetings by streamlining financial planning processes through AI. However, Vu emphasized New York Life’s commitment to a human-first approach.

“We think human-led protection-first holistic advice and guidance is really the key here, and we have amazing advisors, we have amazing agents throughout the country, and what we're really focused on is really enhancing them and trying to make their lives easier by having AI at their side,” he said.

Looking to the future

Vu also explored the potential of AI interoperability, envisioning agentic AI capabilities allowing more seamless collaboration across platforms to better serve clients.

For more insights into New York Life's AI-driven transformation, listen to the full podcast episode on The Data Chief.

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