Katherine Stepp

Executive VP & CTO, Factset

Search every verified Katherine Stepp interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a December 2024 webinar, Stepp discussed FactSet's approach to integrating generative AI into its financial data platform. She said that the company's history of integrating and collecting data provided a foundation for applying machine learning, and that generative AI has "revolutionized that efficiency factor." Stepp described how FactSet uses AI to understand user queries and then applies its existing, trusted query mechanisms to retrieve structured content, rather than relying solely on a pre-trained model for answers. She stated that this approach provides transparency and auditability, allowing users to trace information back to individual documents. Stepp also addressed user concerns about privacy and security, stating that FactSet does not train its internal systems on prompts from enterprise users. She noted that the company builds AI features in a compartmentalized way to allow for flexibility across different use cases. Stepp highlighted that AI-driven tools, such as a transcript assistant placed alongside familiar sources, have helped users adopt the technology in a "safer" manner, and that dynamic querying allows users to automate workflows like portfolio commentary, reducing tasks that previously took hours to minutes.