Citigroup is taking a significant step in its adoption of artificial intelligence by launching an upgraded version of its proprietary platform, Citi Stylus Workspaces, now powered by agentic AI. This upgrade enables employees to tackle longer, more complex objectives and tasks with greater speed, efficiency and insight, supporting Citi's efforts to become a more technology-driven firm.
Unlike generative AI, which creates content in response to commands, agentic AI can make decisions and execute them without human intervention. These systems can take a goal, break it down into steps, execute those steps, and learn from the results. Citi has initiated a pilot with 5,000 employees to test these capabilities, which will run for four to six weeks to measure productivity gains and manage costs.
David Griffiths, Chief Technology Officer at Citi, stated, “The integration of Agentic AI into Stylus Workspaces is a pivotal moment in our commitment to empowering our workforce with cutting-edge tools. We're giving our people smarter, faster and more connected tools so they can focus less on manual tasks and more on the big ideas that drive our business forward.”
The platform integrates directly with Citi's internal systems, including employee directories and project management tools, while also leveraging web search capabilities. This allows employees to automate multi-stage workflows into a single process. For example, an employee can ask the system to identify the top U.S. branded card businesses, distill their strategic goals, and translate the findings into Spanish, all from a single prompt.
This initiative is part of a broader AI strategy at Citi. The bank has already equipped about 30,000 developers with generative AI coding assistants and has launched AI tools in its wealth division and for customer service staff. With its Citi Squad tool, nearly 220,000 automated code reviews were conducted in the first quarter of the year. The bank's wider strategy includes significant technology investments, with spending reaching nearly $12 billion in 2023.
Citi's move aligns with broader trends in the financial industry. A Citibank study found that 93% of financial institutions expect AI to improve profits over the next five years, with an estimated $170 billion boost to industry profits by 2028, primarily from productivity gains. Competitors like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have also deployed internal AI tools to thousands of their employees, reporting efficiency improvements.
The phased rollout of the upgraded platform begins this month, with thousands of employees receiving early access, followed by a staged expansion across the firm. Citi is also launching training programs to help staff adopt the new capabilities effectively. This strategic move underscores the bank's commitment to leveraging technology to enhance productivity and maintain a competitive edge in the evolving financial landscape.