ANZ has entered into a collaboration with Microsoft to open an ‘AI Immersion Centre’ at its headquarters in Melbourne, aimed specifically at enhancing the skills of the bank’s leadership team.
Over the next twelve months, the Centre will provide practical learning experiences for ANZ’s leadership, which consists of around 3,000 individuals. To facilitate this initiative, the bank has acquired 3,000 licenses for Copilot for Microsoft 365.
The primary goal of this program is to foster AI literacy among leaders, equipping them to guide their teams in effectively utilizing emerging tools as they are introduced.
Gerard Florian, ANZ’s Group Executive of Technology, stated, “We are actively integrating generative AI across all facets of our operations to enhance customer service, streamline workflows, and comply with regulatory requirements.”
Florian emphasized that when applied responsibly, generative AI has the potential to improve experiences for both customers and employees, allowing the bank to achieve business objectives more efficiently and with reduced risk and costs. He also noted that ANZ’s partnership with Microsoft is driven by their established expertise and dedication to responsible AI development.
The establishment of the AI Immersion Centre builds on successful trials of Copilot for Microsoft 365 and GitHub Copilot, alongside the creation of Z-GPT—a proprietary chatbot designed to assist employees in generating and utilizing internal data.
In addition, professionals interested in the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the banking sector can explore opportunities at Finextra’s inaugural NextGenAI conference scheduled for November 26, 2024. For more details, registration is now open.