Chief Information Officer Mark Sherwood recently talked with Neil C. Hughes for his podcast Tech Talks Daily. In this 30-minute podcast, Mark shared his views on trustworthy AI, tangible benefits of generative AI and human-like interaction with AI. Listen to the podcast here on Spotify. Or read a quick summary here below.
Listen to How Wolters Kluwer Is Building Trustworthy AI for Regulated Industries below:
Why are cloud-native architecture and strong data governance so critical for scalable, trustworthy AI in regulated industries?
The cloud brings a level of flexibility we never had before — the speed to change and do what we want quickly, and with great accuracy, without the same level of investment it once required. From an AI standpoint, data is foundational. Too often, companies rush into AI without understanding their data foundations. AI is only as smart as the data used to train it, so having accurate, single-source-of-truth data with strong governance and stewardship across divisions is essential.
How is generative AI already delivering tangible benefits to professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and financial experts?
In law firms, tax offices, financial institutions, and hospitals, expert professionals rely on our trusted data — that’s the crown jewel of our company. Our content is built by professionals for professionals, so it’s proprietary and deeply reliable. Adding AI on top of that content completes the puzzle: it gives users conversational access to that knowledge. For example, our UpToDate Expert AI now allows healthcare professionals to query trusted content in natural language and receive fast, accurate insights.
How has your view of enterprise-scale AI adoption evolved during your digital transformation journey?
The speed of change is incredible — every year it feels faster. It’s like Moore’s Law applied to technology more broadly. At Wolters Kluwer, there’s a real hunger in the business now; people want to move forward. Change management remains crucial, but there’s great enthusiasm to adopt new technologies responsibly.
What breakthroughs have you seen in making complex information more accessible through natural language interaction?
The big change with GenAI is the ability to get exactly what you want — simply by asking. People no longer need to learn complicated user interfaces; they can just talk to the system. If it’s not the right format, you tell it, and it adjusts. The data hasn’t changed — it’s still the foundation — but access to that data has become much easier, faster, and more human-like.
What role do AI agents and data quality play in ensuring responsible and effective AI adoption?
Technology is increasingly decentralized. We set up an AI Center of Excellence over 10 years ago and an AI Governance Group with experts from across the company. It’s about creating clear guidelines so development happens safely and ethically. Almost anyone can build an agent today, but we need oversight and governance. Educating people early is key — training them before they build. And it all starts with clean, accurate, well-managed data.
