Itaú plans generative AI for all customers
Brazilian bank Itaú says it will offer its OpenAI-powered assistant, ia.i, to its entire customer base by the end of 2026, a broad consumer rollout in a heavily regulated sector.
Itaú is extending its generative AI work to customers and employees under what it calls an "AI First" strategy, according to a customer case study published by OpenAI.
The customer-facing piece is ia.i, a conversational interface. Its first phase covers about 300,000 customers, and the bank's stated goal is to reach 100% of its customer base by the end of 2026. The case study does not say how many customers that is in absolute terms, which features ia.i offers, or when the first phase launched.
On the internal side, Itaú built a governance platform called IARA. One quote in the piece describes it as "fundamental" because "it ensures we can have governance and observability in a highly regulated environment." The bank also points to a legal solution backed by a repository of more than 90 million documents. It reports efficiency gains of 20% to 80% in "the department's processes," but does not explain how those gains were measured. Relationship managers are also getting AI tools.
The case study quotes several people without naming them. One says OpenAI's models "were very important in delivering this experience, because they were able to operate across this range of solutions." Another says financial products "need this context, this simpler relationship with money."
OpenAI published the case study, so it is vendor material. It does not say which models are used, how much the work costs, or how Itaú evaluates accuracy or compliance risk in customer conversations.