ANZ has expanded its use of Copilot for Microsoft 365, deploying an additional 3,000 licenses across its workforce, transforming how ANZ employees approach their daily tasks

The adoption of Copilot comes at a crucial time for ANZ, as the bank navigates the complex process of integrating Suncorp Bank following its acquisition in July 2024. With 3,000 new employees and 1.2 million customers joining ANZ, the bank faces the daunting task of aligning policies, standards, and risk documentation between the two organizations.

Jo Hayes, Chief Information Officer of Group Services, Technology at ANZ, highlights the efficiency gains in this process.

"We're finding we can become 80 percent more efficient by using generative AI on this process, which is saving us a huge amount of person-hours and increasing our consistency significantly," Hayes explains. This dramatic improvement in efficiency demonstrates the power of AI in handling complex, time-consuming tasks that would traditionally require extensive manual labour.

For executives like Hayes, Copilot has become an indispensable tool for daily management. She describes it as a "daily boost" that helps her start each day with clear focus.

"I use Copilot to summarize my actions from the previous day, review meeting notes in a Copilot summary (which may sit across multiple pieces of content) and quickly identify my focus areas for the day," she says.

This AI-assisted organization allows leaders to streamline routine tasks and dedicate more time to strategic thinking and relationship-building with team members and stakeholders.

Carina Parisella, Head of Group Technology Workforce at ANZ, leverages the AI tool for creative and strategic development.

"One of my favourite ways to use Copilot is by prompting it with simple questions like, 'How might I develop this concept further?' It helps me stretch my thinking and question my approach," Parisella explains. This application of AI as a brainstorming partner demonstrates its potential to enhance human creativity and strategic thinking.

Project management at ANZ has also seen significant improvements with the introduction of Copilot. The AI assistant helps employees synthesize information from meetings, handle administrative tasks, and even overcome writer's block when developing new strategies.

However, ANZ's approach to AI adoption is not without caution. The bank has implemented a robust framework of ethical guardrails and oversight for AI initiatives, ensuring alignment with its core values and industry regulatory requirements.

To further support its AI journey, ANZ has partnered with Microsoft to launch an AI Immersion Centre at its Melbourne headquarters. This initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of generative AI at scale by providing hands-on learning experiences for employees. The initial focus is on building AI literacy among senior leaders, empowering them to drive AI adoption throughout the organization.

As Gerard Florian, Group Executive of Technology at ANZ, puts it, "It's a moment in time – a catalyst that has set off a chain of reactions that we did not fully anticipate. But as we evolve, we see how it can transform our organization from the bottom up, impacting every employee and customer."