BNP Paribas aims to develop 1,000 AI use cases by 2025. 

The $2.6 trillion, Paris-based bank has been using AI for years and already has 700 uses for the technology, including 26 generative AI models in testing, a BNP spokesperson told Bank Automation News.

BNP Paribas is in the top 12 banks globally for its AI efforts, according to a Nov. 15 report by AI solutions company Evident. The $3.7 trillion JPMorgan Chase led the list, followed by $467 billion Capital One. 

The bank has integrated AI into customer service to answer inquiries in real time. It also uses AI to detect and prevent fraud and money laundering, the spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson said the banks is testing generative AI for the following:  

• Automatic reporting; 
• Coding assistance; 
• Extraction and analysis of unstructured data; and 
• Streamlined call center experiences. 

Achieving AI growth

BNP Paribas, with more than 700 data scientists and AI analytics managers across its operations, aims to develop as many AI uses as possible internally, the spokesperson said.  

The bank’s total headcount exceeds 184,000, according to its website, with its AI team making up 0.4% of the total workforce. 

Banks across the board are adding to their AI teams, in fact, JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said in his annual letter to shareholders that the bank has 1,000 people involved in data management, including 900 data scientists, 600 machine learning engineers and 200 people focused on AI research.

Several more AI efforts are in the works at BNP Paribas: 

• BNP launched its virtual assistant, NOA (NextGen Online Assistant), in June. NOA trained for the securities services environment. 
• The bank is working on cloud migration and aims to have nearly 60% of its applications on the cloud by 2025, up from 43% currently, Chief Financial Officer Lars Machenil said during the bank’s Q3 earnings presentation. 
• BNP is improving its API connection, with 820 APIs in the cloud sustaining more than 670 transactions per month. This puts the bank in a strong position to scale operations in AI technology, Machenil said.  

Bank peers

BNP’s industry peers are also developing their own gen AI to boost efficiency and improve customer experience.  

The $578 billion Deutsche Bank is exploring gen AI use cases in coding, customer service and underwriting operations, while $967 billion ING Bank is using the tech to enhance customer experience by making customer journeys shorter and more engaging. 

Bahadir Yilmaz, chief analytics officer at ING, previously told BAN the bank aims “to position analytics and AI as the most critical enabler in transforming the way we operate,” adding that it has the people, knowledge and management support to achieve its AI goals. 

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