Bendigo Bank has chosen Google Cloud for its first major enterprise AI deployment, giving the tech giant’s Gemini tools to its workforce, organisation-wide.
The bank told iTnews that all Bendigo and Adelaide Bank staff across all business areas will have access to Gemini Enterprise from next month.
“This evolution in our relationship with Google Cloud is all about democratising AI. By putting these tools in the hands of every single one of our people, we’re creating a workforce that’s as well-equipped for the future as possible,” Bendigo Bank CEO Richard Fennell said.
The bank has used AI previously but at a much smaller scale, using tools from MongoDB to rewrite the code of a retail banking application. It has also used AI to assist in its contact centre through Amazon Connect and to aid with compliance and home lending.
The agreement further entrenches Google’s services in Bendigo Bank’s infrastructure. The bank currently uses Google Cloud for its core systems, and it’s currently transitioning to the search and advertising giant’s security platform.
Google said that the bank tested Google’s AI tools across a wide variety of the bank’s core functions, from lending and refinancing to data analysis which we can identify product gaps.
As part of the deployment the bank will give its developers access to Gemini Code Assist in a bid building its systems faster and more consistently. It has also turned to Google for help with its financial crime and customer protection compliance obligations, deploying Google Anti Money Laundering AI.
The bank said it was planning to migrate its platform to Google Security Operations and its cloud-based Security Command Center to reduce risks and improve its ability to respond to threats.
Google said that the move compliments the bank’s plan to transition to BigQuery, Google’s fully managed enterprise data warehousing service.
Google’s domination of the bank’s technology platforms went further to include its virtual environments.
“Bendigo Bank is also migrating its VMware environments onto Google Cloud to deliver a zero-downtime transition and maintain high service continuity,” Google added.
While the bank has been busy spending on AI and technology projects, it has been busy restructuring its workforce.
The bank restructured its technology division in September, cutting 145 jobs in a rationalisation exercise impacting 637 technology workers overall, according to the Finance Sector Union.