Agentic AI and Generative AI Expertise
Beyond the Arc helps organizations make AI useful. We help clients define AI strategy, build roadmaps, prioritize high-value use cases, and create proofs of concept that turn ideas into action. Our work spans AI, machine learning, NLP, and agentic AI, including the development of agentic tools that automate workflows, support teams, and strengthen decision-making. We also provide AI enablement and training so teams can adopt AI effectively and realize lasting value. The result is a practical path from experimentation to scalable, governed AI capabilities.
AI Clients
Clients choose Beyond the Arc because we help organizations move AI from experimentation to execution. Across data, machine learning, generative AI, and operational deployment, we identify high-value use cases, address risk and compliance requirements, and build AI solutions that integrate with real business processes and scale in production.
BAI (Bank Administration Institute, recently renamed ProSight): A nonprofit organization offering training, research, and insights for financial services professionals.
Bankpoint: A cloud-based lending and relationship management platform designed for banks and commercial lenders.
Echo Global Logistics: A logistics and supply chain company using data and analytics to support transportation management and operational efficiency.
eGain: A provider of AI-powered customer engagement solutions used by financial institutions and contact centers.
Emprise Bank: A regional bank providing commercial and consumer banking services, with a focus on data-driven decision-making in a regulated environment.
EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute): A research organization focused on the energy sector, applying data, analytics, and emerging technologies to industry challenges.
Finovate: A leading fintech conference brand where banks, credit unions, fintechs, and investors come to see innovation in action. As AI becomes a defining theme across fintech, the Finovate platform is increasingly focused on topics like agentic AI, embedded finance, digital banking, payments, fraud, and regulation.
IBM: A global technology company offering enterprise solutions in data, analytics, cloud, and artificial intelligence.
Johnson Controls: An industrial company delivering building technologies and solutions, supported by data and analytics across complex systems.
Lamps Plus: A retail company specializing in lighting and home décor, using data and analytics to support customer experience and operations.
Machine Learning Week: A conference organizer focused on practical machine learning, predictive analytics, and generative AI. With roots in Predictive Analytics World, it serves cross-industry audiences, including financial services and manufacturing, with vendor-neutral content centered on AI deployment, validation, and business value.
OneBlood: A nonprofit blood center supporting hospitals and healthcare providers through blood collection, distribution, and data-driven operations.
TriLeaf: An environmental consulting firm providing regulatory compliance, site assessment, and engineering services across complex operational environments.
Wells Fargo: Supports fintechs and startups with open banking APIs, specialized tech banking, and financing.
Speaking Events & Industry Participation
Steven Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc, is a frequent speaker on AI, machine learning, and organizational adoption of AI. He served as chair of the 2024 Generative AI Application Summit in Arizona and is often invited to speak because of his experience helping clients turn AI initiatives into working solutions. In his presentations and panel discussions, he shares practical perspectives on identifying high-value use cases, building in governance and human oversight, and deploying AI in ways that are scalable, effective, and aligned with risk and compliance requirements.
2026
| Event | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ABA Bank Marketing Conference September 23-25, 2026 New York, NY | Speaker, How AI Agents Help Marketing Teams Scale | At the ABA Bank Marketing Conference, Beyond the Arc will present on how AI agents can support marketing teams at scale. The session will focus on practical applications of AI in campaign execution, content generation, and workflow automation, with an emphasis on maintaining quality, governance, and alignment with business objectives. |
| Machine Learning Week May 5-6, 2026 Phoenix, AZ | Expert Panel: Squeezing Proven Value Out of AI | At Machine Learning Week, Beyond the Arc will participate in an expert panel on how organizations can generate measurable value from AI initiatives. The discussion will focus on moving beyond experimentation to production, with an emphasis on use case selection, performance measurement, and operational integration. |
| BAI Webinar Jan 8, 2026 Virtual | AI course development for compliance: Accuracy and the ‘human in the loop’ | In a BAI webinar, Beyond the Arc explored the development of AI-enabled training and compliance programs. The session examined accuracy, oversight, and the role of the human in the loop in ensuring that AI systems meet regulatory and organizational standards. |
2025
| Event | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium November 16-19, 2025 Los Angeles, CA | Implementing AI and ML in Your Financial Institution: Best Practices for Integration | At the CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium, Beyond the Arc presented on implementing AI and machine learning in financial institutions. The session focused on integration best practices, including governance, model transparency, and alignment with fair lending and compliance requirements. |
| Money 20/20 October 26-29, 2025 Las Vegas, NV | Meetings to discuss embedded payments, AI, and instant payments | At Money20/20, Beyond the Arc engaged with leaders across banking, payments, and fintech to discuss the role of AI. Conversations focused on how AI is influencing product strategy, operations, and customer experience in financial services. |
| Bank Trainers Conference & Expo October 7-9, 2025 Orlando, FL | Risk-Aware AI: Upskilling teams, boosting productivity, and managing risk | At the Bank Trainers Conference & Expo, Beyond the Arc presented on risk-aware AI and workforce enablement. The session explored how organizations can upskill teams, improve productivity, and manage risk while adopting AI technologies. |
| NDE Technology Week June 23-27, 2025 Los Angeles, CA | Demonstration of the AI agent for developing regulatory submissions | At NDE Technology Week, Beyond the Arc demonstrated an AI agent designed to support the development of regulatory submissions. The session highlighted how AI can streamline complex documentation processes while maintaining accuracy and compliance. |
| Machine Learning Week June 4, 2025 Phoenix, AZ | Leveraging Generative AI to Manage Risk and Compliance in Regulated Industries Expert Panel: Upskilling on AI: Achieving Universal AI Literacies | At Machine Learning Week, Beyond the Arc participated in expert panels on generative AI in regulated industries and AI literacy. Discussions focused on managing risk and compliance while scaling AI capabilities across the organization. |
| Indiana Bankers Association Mega Conference May 29, 2025 Las Vegas, NV | Risk-Aware AI: Balancing Innovation and Compliance | At the Indiana Bankers Association Mega Conference, Beyond the Arc presented on balancing innovation and compliance with AI. The session examined how financial institutions can adopt AI while managing regulatory expectations and operational risk. |
| BAI Webinar May 15, 2025 Virtual | Strategies to improve fraud policies and procedures | In a BAI webinar, Beyond the Arc discussed strategies for improving fraud policies and procedures. The session explored how data, analytics, and AI can support more effective fraud detection and prevention. |
| U.S. Customer Experience Awards 2025 May, 2025 Virtual | Customer Experience Judge | At the U.S. Customer Experience Awards, Beyond the Arc participated as a judge, evaluating organizations on their approach to customer experience. The role provided visibility into how companies are applying data, digital capabilities, and AI to improve customer outcomes. |
| FinovateSpring May 7-9, 2025 San Diego | Power Panel: How Banks Can Win The Battle For Deposits, Walking The CX Talk – How Financial Institution Can Deliver Outstanding Omni Channel CX | At FinovateSpring, Beyond the Arc contributed to panel discussions on customer experience and growth in banking. The sessions explored how financial institutions can strengthen engagement and deliver more consistent omni-channel experiences. |
| Silicon Valley M&A Integration Group – Executive Council February, 2025 Virtual | Chair, M&A Strategy Roundtable | As Chair of an M&A Strategy Roundtable, Beyond the Arc led discussions on integration priorities and execution. The session focused on aligning strategy, operations, and technology during mergers and acquisitions. |
| Fintech Meetup March 10-13, 2025 Las Vegas, NV | Fintech, payments, and banking meetings Navigating Fintech’s Crossroads: Challenges, Opportunities & the AI Advantage | At Fintech Meetup, Beyond the Arc participated in discussions with leaders across fintech and financial services. Conversations focused on industry challenges, emerging opportunities, and the role of AI in shaping products, operations, and competitive positioning. |
| BAI Webinar Feb 27, 2025 Virtual | Key Fraud Challenges in 2025 and how to Prepare | In a BAI webinar, Beyond the Arc addressed key fraud challenges facing financial institutions. The session focused on preparedness, risk management, and the role of data and analytics in strengthening fraud prevention. |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Transformation (DX) Electric Power Summit January 7-9, 2025 Palo Alto, CA | Conference Speaker | At the AI and Digital Transformation Electric Power Summit, Beyond the Arc spoke on the application of AI in complex, regulated environments. The session focused on how organizations can adopt AI while managing operational, regulatory, and organizational considerations. |
| Generative AI Applications Summit June 3-4, 2024 Phoenix, AZ | Chair | At the Generative AI Applications Summit, Beyond the Arc participated in discussions focused on applying generative AI in business contexts. The event covered topics including machine learning deployment, open-source models, and the use of generative AI across industries. |
Podcasts, Media Interviews, and Videos
| Podcast, Media Interviews, & Videos | Episode / Topic | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bankadelic: The colorful side of finance | LIVE FROM MONEY 20/20 EPISODE 10: MEETING AI’S HOPE AND HYPE WITH IA (INNOVATION ACUITY) | A live discussion from Money20/20 featuring Beyond the Arc CEO Steven Ramirez on separating AI hype from practical application. The discussion focused on applying AI within compliance constraints and operational realities. |
| BIGCast Podcast | AI Everywhere All at Once | A conversation examining the expansion of AI and how organizations can prioritize use cases and move toward focused implementation. |
| bobsguide | How Beyond the Arc, Inc. is Helping Financial Institutions Execute AI-Driven Innovation | A feature on how Beyond the Arc helps financial institutions move from AI experimentation to execution, with a focus on practical application and business outcomes. |
| Finovate | The ABCs of Digital Transformation: A is for Artificial Intelligence | A Finovate feature focused on the role of artificial intelligence in digital transformation. |
| Revolutionizing customer experience with AI and embedded finance | A discussion on how AI and embedded finance are shaping customer experience through more personalized and responsive interactions. | |
| The Streams of FinovateSpring: AI, Banking, CX, Payments, and Lending | A Finovate feature outlining key themes including AI and customer experience. The discussion highlights how financial institutions are applying AI to improve engagement and modernize operations. | |
| FintechTalk | The Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Horizon | A FintechTalk podcast episode focused on artificial general intelligence (AGI). |
| PRNewswire / PRWeb | Media Advisory: 2023 Trends in CX, Fintech, and AI | A media advisory outlining trends in AI, fintech, and customer experience, with a focus on digital transformation and evolving expectations. |
| SouthState Bank | Recapping Money 20/20 with Steven Ramirez | A podcast discussion covering key themes from Money20/20, including AI, fraud, and emerging technologies, and how they are shaping strategy and operations in financial services. |
| The BIGCast | Have Your Bot Call My Bot | This is a page for enterprises whose bots can’t just call each other and hope for the best. They need AI that works inside compliance boundaries, across messy legacy environments, and under real business pressure. That’s where Beyond the Arc is strongest: helping regulated organizations find the right use case, pilot fast, and scale responsibly. |
| UC Berkeley | Data Science & Strategy Lecture Series | A lecture series hosted by UC Berkeley focused on data science and strategy. |
| Videos | AI customer service | A discussion of how AI enables scalable personalization in customer experience using chatbots and machine learning. |
| Content marketing for AI solutions | A look at how AI companies can support marketing through content such as infographics, articles, and whitepapers. | |
| Machine learning for manufacturing and industrial companies | An overview of how machine learning supports predictive maintenance, downtime reduction, and service improvement. | |
| Machine Learning for Utilities | An overview of how machine learning supports predictive maintenance and prioritization in utility operations. | |
| Natural Language Processing (NLP) Explainer Video | An introduction to NLP and how it helps analyze text-heavy data for insights and patterns. | |
| Reduce attrition with AI and machine learning | A look at how AI and machine learning can predict churn and identify drivers of customer attrition. | |
| Where should you invest your AI dollars? | An overview of AI investment priorities, including NLP, open source, cloud-native capabilities, and talent. |
Beyond the Arc’s AI Insights & Industry Analysis
Building Predictive Models with Machine Learning: 7 Steps with FAQs
Beyond the Arc outlines a structured approach to building predictive models with machine learning, from defining the problem to deploying and maintaining models. The post addresses common questions teams encounter and shows how to connect predictive analytics to practical business applications and decision-making.
Emotional Intelligence in AI: Prompt Engineering Best Practices
Beyond the Arc explores how emotional intelligence principles can inform prompt engineering in generative AI. The post highlights techniques for shaping tone, improving interactions, and aligning AI outputs with user expectations and business needs.
6 Steps to Accelerating Your Progress Toward AI Adoption
Beyond the Arc presents six steps to help organizations advance AI adoption, focusing on how to move from early exploration to more consistent and scalable use. The post emphasizes aligning AI initiatives with business priorities and building momentum through practical execution.
Generative AI for Marketing – 3 Strategies to Balance Opportunity and Risk
Beyond the Arc outlines three strategies for applying generative AI in marketing while managing risk. The post focuses on how organizations can use AI to support content and marketing efforts while maintaining oversight, consistency, and alignment with business and regulatory expectations.
What is Generative AI for Marketing, and Why Does It Create Risk in Regulated Industries?
Beyond the Arc explains how generative AI is used in marketing and why it introduces risk in regulated industries. The post examines considerations such as compliance, governance, and responsible use, helping organizations understand how to apply AI while managing potential exposure.
AI Case Studies
Explore Beyond the Arc case studies highlighting our work with AI, machine learning, NLP, and Agentic AI to help organizations automate workflows and make better decisions. Our experience spans strategy, roadmaps, proofs of concept, training, and implementation, with featured engagements including EPRI, Johnson Controls, and TriLeaf.
EPRI: AI Agents for Regulatory Submissions
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), a global energy research and development organization, exploring practical AI applications to support knowledge transfer and regulatory document development.
EPRI wanted to explore how AI could automate parts of the regulatory document development workflow without sacrificing rigor or traceability. Preparing new submissions required engineers to search across decades of public regulatory materials, identify relevant precedents, extract supporting language, and translate that research into draft content. The work was time-intensive, hard to scale, and heavily dependent on institutional knowledge held by senior experts. As experienced engineers retired, EPRI saw a growing need to design a proof of concept, make this expertise easier to access, and streamline document development for newer staff working under deadline pressure.
Beyond the Arc developed a user-centered, AI-assisted proof of concept that acts as an agentic workflow assistant for regulatory document development. The web-based tool helps engineers complete key steps in the process by locating relevant historical materials, surfacing precedents, synthesizing supporting information, and generating draft language grounded in selected source documents. It supports three pathways: AI-assisted topic search, generative drafting, and guided filter-based discovery. And, users have access to deep links to original documents so they can validate sources and maintain traceability throughout the workflow.
Created an approach for turning more than two decades of public regulatory filings into an AI-ready knowledge resource that engineers can access in just a few clicks. The proof of concept enables faster precedent research, draft text generation in seconds, and more efficient knowledge transfer to the next generation of engineers. The PDF describes this as an active proof of concept, so it does not provide production rollout metrics or business performance results yet.
Johnson Controls: Using AI to Predict Churn and Protect Revenue
Johnson Controls, a global leader in fire, security, HVAC, and smart building technologies, wanted to expand its use of AI beyond product innovation and apply it to internal operations in its Global Services business.
Johnson Controls faced a high-stakes attrition problem, with leadership noting that every 1% reduction in attrition could preserve $35 million in revenue. At the same time, the company was starting this initiative with a highly fragmented data environment spanning more than 200 data stores and about 50 ERP systems.
Beyond the Arc partnered with Johnson Controls to build a repeatable AI/ML development process for churn prediction. The team helped define the business problem, align stakeholders, map and modernize key data sources, and develop predictive models that identified at-risk accounts and key drivers of attrition. Prototype models were delivered in 90 days, giving the business an actionable foundation for applying AI to retention decisions.
Within a year, Johnson Controls Global Services had 12 models in production and was using model outputs to support monthly business decisions. Johnson Controls reports that its broader AI/ML efforts are identifying $100 million in annualized protectable revenue, not exclusively from churn prediction, but that the churn initiative contributed significantly.
TriLeaf: Building an AI Roadmap for Practical Business Value
TriLeaf partnered with Beyond the Arc to assess AI opportunities and define a practical roadmap for adoption.
TriLeaf wanted to move beyond AI hype and identify the use cases most likely to improve operational efficiency, strengthen compliance, and create competitive advantage. The team also needed a clear path for building organizational experience with AI while managing risk.
Beyond the Arc led stakeholder discovery and evaluated TriLeaf’s business processes, strategic priorities, and readiness for AI adoption. We identified and prioritized tailored use cases, including an AI-powered automation concept that could leverage executive support, documented workflows, and TriLeaf’s extensive historical report library to reduce time-intensive work and improve competitiveness.
The engagement gave TriLeaf a practical, prioritized path to AI adoption, translating initial interest into a strategy grounded in business outcomes, feasibility, governance, and execution readiness. It positioned the organization not only to launch near-term proof of concepts, but also to advance a longer-term AI vision aligned to growth and operational excellence.