Irish lender AIB is deploying Microsoft Copilot to provide 100,000 staff with access to enterprise-grade AI tools.
The roll out will embed AI into everyday tools like Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint.
To extend these capabilities further, AIB’s AI Centre of Excellence is also using Copilot Studio to develop tailored AI solutions — for example, enabling teams to synthesise customer insights from complex data sources to support faster, more informed decision-making.
In addition, AIB is planning to introduce a secure, AI coding tool for its engineering teams to speed up software development with GitHub Copilot.
The bank will also promote peer learning by encouraging the sharing of insights and experiences.
AIB’s chief technology officer Graham Fagan, says: “At AIB, we see responsible AI as having a transformative effect on the experience of our customers and the empowerment of our colleagues. We’ve been exploring its potential with our employees through collaboration and testing, and now we’re scaling it across the organisation to deliver smarter, faster, and more meaningful outcomes for our customers and our people."
He says that AIB will maintain a continuous dialogue with the Financial Services Union on the impact of AI on the workforce.
No such worries for Microsoft, which last week laid off more than 9,000 workers, the company’s third round of layoffs this year that put the total number of affected employees somewhere around 15,000. This comes as the firm boasts that AI tools are boosting productivity across sales, customer service, and software engineering. In an internal briefing seen by Bloomber, Microsoft’s chief commercial officer Judson Althoff noted AI has been so useful that Microsoft was able to save more than $500 million last year in its call center alone.