BBVA is using a multimodel approach to AI applications to boost productivity. 

The Madrid-based bank announced its use of Google Cloud’s Gemini in Google Workspace earlier this month and its use of Open AI’s ChatGPT in May.

“We’re focused on boosting employee productivity by automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks,” Elena Alfaro, head of global AI adoption at BBVA, told Bank Automation News.  

Financial institutions are looking to a multimodel AI strategy, similar to a multicloud strategy, to take advantage of various AI tools’ expertise, Alexandra Mousavizadeh, co-chief executive at think tank Evident AI, previously told BAN. 

“Some AI tools will be good in certain functions, like analysis, while others will have an edge in a different way, like creative generation,” Mousavizadeh said. “No one wants to be boxed in.” 

The $836 billion BBVA aims to use Gemini in Workspace to: 

• Summarize content;  

• Draft documents;  

• Retrieve information; and  

• Support meetings through notetaking. 

“Early results show employees save nearly three hours per week on average, allowing them to focus more on strategic, customer-facing work,” Alfaro said. “These gains build on the success of existing ChatGPT Enterprise tools used for translation, coding and legal analysis.” 

Building on multicloud strategy 

The bank has chosen a multicloud approach to ensure operational resilience, strategic flexibility and the capacity to integrate services from diverse providers, Alfaro said.  

“Recognizing that workload performance varies across platforms, this approach empowers us to select the most suitable cloud environment for each specific requirement, which is particularly relevant for our operations intensive in data processing and artificial intelligence,” Juan Ortigosa, global head of workplace at BBVA, told BAN. 

BBVA has been working with Google Cloud for more than a decade for cloud migration and will now use the tech provider’s AI tech as well, Ortigosa said. 

“Being on Google Cloud meant we already had the necessary infrastructure, security protocols and a workforce familiar with Google’s ecosystem,” which made the AI-integration smoother, Ortigosa said. 

Register here for “Seamless integration: The new frontier in embedded payments,” a free Bank Automation News webinar set for Tuesday, July 22, at 11 a.m. ET.