NatWest hails progress after £1.2B spent on tech last year, but true AI (www.computerweekly.com)

NatWest bank has announced a significant stride in its digital transformation, investing £1.2 billion in technology in 2025, which has resulted in a £100 million savings from simplifications and cloud adoption. Moving forward, the bank plans to fully deploy artificial intelligence (AI) across its operations, aiming for transformative benefits for both customers and staff. In a major initiative, 35% of software code is now generated using AI development tools, while all 60,000 employees have access to AI productivity software. The bank is also collaborating with OpenAI to enhance its customer service through cutting-edge AI applications. The significance of this progress lies in NatWest's commitment to restructuring its tech foundations while shifting away from legacy systems to a modular, scalable architecture. This allows for personalized banking experiences, such as the upcoming launch of an AI assistant called Cora, enabling customers to interact using natural language. Additionally, AI tools are saving over 70,000 hours in operations and helping relationship managers spend 30% more time with clients. As NatWest prepares to implement voice-to-voice AI technology promising human-like interactions, it emphasizes the role of AI as a supportive tool for its workforce, promoting efficiency and deeper customer relationships in the evolving banking landscape.