Bank of Ireland equips staff for AI-driven future

The bank is planning AI-immersion learning for all staff over the course of 2026. So far, 20% of the bank’s workforce are engaging with or have completed leraning programmes in AI or Data Fluency. Over 1,100 staff employees have completed Data Fluency and Literacy courses, while a further 1,200-plus are engaged with the the bank’s AI Academy, an initiative designed to deepen understanding of AI and its practical applications in financial services.

An additional cohort of employees have been selected to participate in the Cambridge Spark AI programme, a specialist course that will develop advanced AI skills among those who will play a leading role in shaping the bank’s approach to the technology.

Billy O’Connell, chief strategy officer, Bank of Ireland, says: "By investing now in the skills of our colleagues, we are building a bank that is ready for the future. There has been significant interest in this training from our colleagues to date, and we are building on this, with further opportunities to develop data and AI fluency throughout the year”.

The bank has published research which found that nearly three quarters (72%) of people believe it is important for banks and utility companies to train their employees in Artificial Intelligence.

When asked where they felt AI would be most useful, customers pointed to fraud detection and prevention and faster resolution of customer queries as their top priorities. 60% of people believe that AI could help companies to detect and prevent fraud. Almost half of those surveyed believe AI will speed up service delivery from organisations like banks and utility companies.

Earlier this year, the Irish bank reported that in 2025 AI helped prevent €9.7 million in fraud from 1 billion card transactions assessed using AI and machine learning models, and delivered 127 million AI-powered spending insights to customers. Meanwhile, AI‑powered support in contact centres now gets customers to the right help faster resolving queries more quickly and smoothly - reducing call transfers by 40%.

Says O’Connell: “Our research shows customers expect AI to deliver faster, more seamless service while strengthening fraud protection. We are already seeing benefits for our customers in areas including fraud prevention and in our customer contact centre, where AI tools are helping our colleagues analyse calls and find solutions more quickly."