Zest AI’s Mike de Vere: ‘You don’t have to give up economics to be more fair’
- Machine learning and AI models are changing the face of lending.
- They're able to clarify the tradeoffs between fairness and economics and optimize them.

When the pandemic hit, lending models didn’t catch up quickly enough. Machine learning, like the kind Zest AI has developed, moved quicker, helping lenders to figure out how quickly things were deteriorating and where. ML models also have been instrumental in identifying and avoiding biases in lending practices.
Zest AI CEO Mike de Vere joins us on the podcast to discuss his firm’s go to market strategy and business model and how the two kind of fit together nicely. Mike shares his views on how to bring technology to lending and specifically, de-biasing models to approve more minority borrowers.
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The following excerpts were edited for clarity.
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