AIB has begun a wider roll-out of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to its workforce, partnering with tech giant Microsoft to drive innovation at the bank.
But the new tools will not have access to customer data or systems, the bank said. Instead, the AI-powered tools are intended to take over repetitive tasks for staff, allowing them to concentrate on more specialised work.
The capabilities are being extended to Microsoft productivity tools used by staff such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint, and coding tool Github. The majority of the company’s 10,000-strong workforce will have access to the technology, AIB said.
“We started the journey well over 12 months ago, where we had a model pilot of about 70 people in the organisation, a representative group,” explained AIB’s chief technology officer Graham Fagan. “We took a lot of learnings from that and built the group up to 1,000 people that properly represented the different teams across the organisation. The findings from that has brought us to this point now, where we’re scaling it.”
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AIB has become one of the frontrunners in embracing AI in Ireland’s banking industry. Last year, it introduced a conversational assistant, called Abi, to customers to help with everyday banking questions across its phone and online banking systems.
It also established of a centre of excellence for AI to explore how it could be used within the business. As part of that, the bank is using Copilot Studio to develop tailored AI solutions for the bank, such as enabling teams to rapidly synthesise customer insights from complex data sources to support faster, more informed decision-making.
The bank is planning to introduce a secure, enterprise-grade AI coding tool with GitHub Copilot, enabling it to speed up software development.
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“We’ll keep our finger on the pulse with regards to global development,” Mr Fagan said.
AI has become increasingly accessible to companies and their workers, with use of the technology surging in recent months.
“AIB is pioneering the adoption of AI in the Irish financial services sector, and we’re proud to support them on this transformative journey,” said Catherine Doyle, General Manager, Microsoft Ireland. “This strategic relationship, built over many years, reflects a shared commitment to innovation, trust, and responsible AI.”
Research published by Microsoft and Trinity College Dublin predicts AI will add up to €250 billion to Ireland’s economy by 2035.
But there are concerns over the impact of the technology on the wider jobs market, as the technology takes over tasks that may have previously been performed by people.
AIB said it remains committed to engagement with the Financial Services Union on the continued implementation of AI capabilities.
The FSU has called on AIB to sign up to an agreed approach with the union on AI adoption, similar to one it has with Bank of Ireland. “AI is advancing at a rapid pace. It is vital that unions, employers, regulators and legislators work together to ensure a fair and transparent implementation program,” FSU secretary general John O’Connell said.
