Westpac is deploying a global rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot, giving artificial intelligence tools to its entire workforce of 35,000 employees plus contractors.

The deployment, which Westpac claims is the largest in financial services within Asia-Pacific, follows a pilot programme involving 15,000 employees in Australia. The bank has not disclosed the financial investment or specific productivity metrics from the trial.

The rollout includes Microsoft's Copilot Studio, which allows IT teams to build custom AI agents. Westpac said it has developed agents for HR and IT functions to handle employee queries and routine tasks, though the bank did not specify how many custom agents are operational.

Andrew McMullan, Westpac's Chief Data, Digital and AI Officer, said AI needs to be paired with governance frameworks.

 "Technology alone isn't the answer," McMullan said. "We know AI needs to be used responsibly and has the strongest impact when it's paired with skilled people, strong values and good judgement."

The bank is providing AI training through masterclasses and prompt-a-thon workshops. It has also established an innovation sandbox on Microsoft Azure for experimentation with AI-driven solutions.

The move reflects broader adoption of generative AI across Australian financial institutions, which must balance productivity gains with regulatory compliance requirements. Banking regulators globally have emphasised the need for governance frameworks around AI systems that process customer data.

https://www.westpac.com.au