MassMutual's AI strategy: 12-month contracts, 30% productivity gains, zero lock-in

Enterprise AI teams face a dilemma: The best models today might not be the best models a year from now. MassMutual's answer is to stop making long-term bets — and build infrastructure that can swap models as the market shifts.“The world of AI today is extremely dynamic,” Sears Merritt, MassMutual CIO, explained in a new VB Beyond the Pilot podcast. “We wanted to make sure we were positioned to ride that wave of dynamism.”The strategy appears to be paying off in a big way. MassMutual has measured a roughly 30% increase in developer productivity, while AI-powered contact center workflows have reduced resolution times from 10 minutes to one and cut costs from dollars to cents. But the broader lesson for IT leaders may be less about the results and more about how the company is thoughtfully bu