BBVA has significantly ramped up its focus on artificial intelligence, doubling the number of staff dedicated to AI to over 400, following the launch of new ‘AI Factories’ in Mexico and Turkey.
These new hubs will work alongside the bank’s existing AI research centre in Spain, according to Finextra.
To staff these new centres, BBVA brought on 230 new professionals, adding to the 200 already employed at its Spanish headquarters.
The new recruits include a mix of data scientists, machine learning engineers, developers, data architects, and digital product experts, all critical to the bank’s expanding AI initiatives.
This wave of hiring is part of BBVA’s broader global strategy to attract top tech talent. Over the past two years, the Spanish bank has added 7,187 data and technology professionals to its workforce, with plans to recruit an additional 2,700 in 2024. Of these, 1,225 will be based in Spain, specifically in Madrid, Bilbao, and Barcelona.
Among the projects being developed at BBVA’s AI Factory is a fully conversational virtual assistant aimed at enhancing user experiences on digital platforms, as well as ‘copilot’ tools designed to help managers improve work efficiency and customer relations.
Ignacio Teulón, global head of BBVA AI Factory, commented, “We are fully aligned with the needs of the business areas. We develop our analytical components to address them, which allows us to transfer the maximum value from AI to customers. But, at the same time, our cross-cutting approach allows us to see how we can reuse these ‘lego pieces’ in other, entirely different business challenges. In this way, we optimise the work we do.”
These new developments follow BBVA’s recent partnership with OpenAI, making it the first European bank to do so. As part of this alliance, BBVA deployed 3,000 ChatGPT Enterprise licenses to staff, aimed at boosting productivity, improving processes, and driving innovation across the company.
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