Starling Bank is empowering its customers with the launch of a new feature called “Spending Intelligence,” centered around a Large Language Model (LLM) that enables users to gain insights into their spending behaviors.
Beginning today, Starling’s chatbot, built on Google’s LLM Gemini, will be available to all customers. Harriet Rees, Chief Information Officer at Starling, stated, “At Starling, we firmly believe that knowledge is power. This is the initial step toward helping customers take control of their finances. Our AI allows users to explore their financial habits, enabling them to make informed budgeting decisions and to better leverage our suite of money management tools.”
Spending Intelligence can be accessed via a search bar in the Starling app, allowing users to ask specific questions about their spending over designated timeframes. For example, customers might inquire, “How much did I donate to charity last year?” or “What did I spend on groceries last week?” Users have the option to enter their questions via text or ask the chatbot verbally.
The feature is designed to encourage diverse queries tailored to individuals’ lifestyles; frequent travelers can analyze holiday expenses, commuters can review their transport costs, and dining enthusiasts can track their restaurant spending. Upon submitting a question or prompt, customers receive detailed graphs and analytics, offering a clearer understanding of their spending patterns over time.
Declan Ferguson, Starling’s Chief Financial Officer, expressed enthusiasm about the bank being the first in the UK to integrate generative AI for its customers. He noted, “This feature, powered by Google’s Gemini, is just the beginning of our aspirations to incorporate AI into our banking app for all users.”
Additionally, during his remarks at Money20/20 last week, Ferguson indicated that Starling plans to expand its workforce by hiring 400 software engineers this year to enhance AI initiatives throughout the organization.
Spending Intelligence is the latest addition to a series of AI advancements developed by Starling on Google Cloud, which also includes innovations aimed at cybersecurity, fraud prevention, and customer service enhancements.