Brazil's Major Bank Itaú Expands Generative AI with OpenAI Models
Brazilian bank Itaú is scaling artificial intelligence across its entire customer base using OpenAI models. The ia.i layer for customers and the IARA platform for internal applications have been launched.
Brazil-based Itaú bank is scaling its generative AI infrastructure across all operations and its customer base by integrating OpenAI technologies.
Itaú, one of Brazil's leading banks, is expanding its generative AI applications to reach its entire customer base, building upon OpenAI models. Carlos Eduardo Mazzei, the bank's chief technology officer, stated that the primary goal is to transform the technology into a simple and functional experience that provides direct benefits without unnecessary complexity. Research conducted in partnership with Itaú and Grupo Consumoteca reveals that 80 percent of Brazilians want to better organize their financial lives, and 65 percent demand pilot technologies to offer financial support.
Following initiatives launched in 2024, the chat-based layer named 'ia.i' consolidates interactions regarding checking accounts, loans, cards, insurance, and other services into a single environment. Reaching approximately 300,000 customers in its initial phase, this structure is planned to roll out to the bank's entire customer base by the end of 2026. The bank has also developed a governance and orchestration platform called 'IARA' for internal applications; this platform provides teams with controlled access to various models while overseeing costs, response accuracy, and responsible AI policies. Meanwhile, the legal department's solution utilizing the IARA infrastructure performs over 2 million tasks per month on a database comprising more than 90 million documents, yielding efficiency gains between 20 and 80 percent.