Itaú builds generative AI to serve its entire client base

Why Simplicity Drives Itaú’s AI Strategy

Chief Technology Officer Carlos Eduardo Mazzei says the bank’s priority is to make the technology “almost unnoticeable” while delivering direct benefit.

He emphasizes that solutions must be simple, direct, and useful rather than showcasing the underlying models.

A joint study by Itaú and Grupo Consumoteca found that 80 % of Brazilians want better organization of their finances and 65 % desire a “financial copilot” for ongoing guidance.

This consumer demand shapes the bank’s AI‑first roadmap, which targets the entire 70 million‑customer base by the end of 2026.

ia.i: A Unified Conversational Experience

Launched after initial Inteligência Itaú tools in 2024, ia.i provides a conversational layer activated by text or voice.

The interface consolidates checking accounts, credit cards, loans, insurance and other services into a single interaction point.

When needed, ia.i seamlessly hands off users to specialized human agents, preserving a personal touch.

OpenAI’s models were chosen because they can handle the breadth of tasks, from low‑latency queries to complex reasoning that requires grounding.

“OpenAI’s models were very important in delivering this experience, because they were able to operate across this range of solutions,” Mazzei explained.

Multiple model sizes are deployed, allowing cost‑effective handling of simple requests while reserving larger models for nuanced advice.

Customer DNA, a contextual layer storing financial habits and life‑stage information for roughly 70 million users, feeds the models to personalize responses.

Under responsible AI controls, GPT models help maintain and enrich Customer DNA, making each interaction progressively more relevant.

The platform supports multimodality, letting users switch among text, voice, images and clicks within the same session.

In its first rollout, ia.i reached about 300 000 customers, providing a live learning environment for the bank.

“We can understand how customers begin to use this product more deeply and see how it can directly benefit each person’s daily financial life,” Mazzei noted.

Use cases already span from clarifying an expense on a statement to offering investment advice and enabling WhatsApp‑based transactions.

IARA: Governance for Bank‑Wide Scale

Behind the consumer‑facing features lies IARA, a governance and orchestration platform built to scale AI across the institution.

IARA grants teams controlled access to models while enforcing responsible‑AI policies, a necessity in Brazil’s heavily regulated financial sector.

The platform also orchestrates the legal‑solution repository, which now contains over 6 million documents for compliance reference.

Early internal pilots reported efficiency gains ranging from 20 % to 80 % in departmental processes thanks to AI assistance.

By centralizing model management, IARA enables rapid iteration and consistent risk oversight as the bank expands AI coverage.

As the rollout progresses toward full‑customer coverage, the bank expects the combined ia.i and IARA stack to become a core component of everyday banking in Brazil.

Interpretation: Achieving 100 % AI integration could set a new benchmark for regulated financial institutions seeking to blend personalization with compliance.

Why This Matters: Itaú’s pursuit of bank‑wide generative AI demonstrates a concrete path for large, regulated banks to scale personalized digital services while maintaining governance.