Bank of Ireland says AI screens 2.9 million transactions a day as Copilot reaches 7,000 staff
Bank of Ireland said on 21 October 2026 that AI checks about 2.9 million transactions a day for fraud and that almost 7,000 staff have Copilot training.
By Emre AlemdarPublished
Tech AI LatestBank of Ireland said on 21 October 2026 that it is scaling AI across the group. AI scam detection now checks about 2.9 million customer transactions every day. Almost 7,000 colleagues have completed Microsoft Copilot training, and the bank says users save about 30 minutes a day. AI also closes over four in five card chargeback cases within three days, cut contact centre call transfers by more than 40%, and helped customers find EUR 55m in potential tax refunds.
Key facts
- Announced: 21 October 2026 (Bank of Ireland press release)
- Fraud: AI scam detection assesses about 2.9 million customer transactions a day, every day of the year
- Staff: almost 7,000 colleagues trained on Microsoft Copilot; average saving of about 30 minutes a day per user, the bank says
- Card services: over four in five chargeback cases now closed in three days
- Customers: Benefits Finder used 31,000 times, identifying EUR 55m in potential tax refunds
- AI vendors for fraud detection and spending on AI: not stated in the announcement
What Bank of Ireland announced
Bank of Ireland said on 21 October 2026 that it is accelerating its use of artificial intelligence and gave figures for several areas of the bank. The largest by volume is fraud. AI-powered scam detection now assesses about 2.9 million customer transactions every day, 365 days a year. The release does not say which vendor or model runs that detection.
In card services, AI handles chargebacks, the process that starts when a customer disputes a card payment. The bank says more than four in five of these cases are now closed within three days. In the contact centre, AI has cut call transfers by more than 40% by routing customers to the right help faster. The bank also delivered 127 million AI-powered spending insights to customers last year.
What changed for staff
Almost 7,000 colleagues have completed training on Microsoft Copilot as part of a bank-wide rollout. Some have taken specialist courses with University College Dublin and the Cambridge Spark AI programme. Staff use Copilot for research and for summarising information, and the bank says users save about 30 minutes a day on average. It does not say how that saving was measured.
A customer tool called Benefits Finder uses AI to help people find tax savings they may be entitled to. It has been used 31,000 times and has identified EUR 55m in potential tax refunds. An AI Centre of Excellence sets priorities, checks that AI is applied responsibly and runs the shared platform. Chief AI Officer Prag Sharma says the bank is moving beyond individual use cases to using AI at scale.
Why it matters
Most bank AI announcements describe pilots or plans. This one reports operating numbers across fraud, disputes, the contact centre and staff productivity, which makes it easier to compare with peers. The figures are the bank's own, and the 30-minute saving in particular is self-reported. The release also groups very different systems under one label, from transaction screening to an office assistant, and gives no start dates for most of them, so the figures show scale rather than year-on-year change.
In the US, Bank of America took a narrower path in September, extending one internal generative AI tool for its payments staff. More bank and insurer stories are under AI in Industry.
What to watch next
Open questions include the cost of the Copilot rollout, how many of the bank's staff will eventually have licences, and whether the fraud figures translate into lower losses in its next annual report.
What changed
| Before | Bank of Ireland reported AI use mainly as individual projects |
|---|---|
| After | The bank reports group-wide figures: 2.9 million transactions screened daily, almost 7,000 staff trained on Copilot, faster chargebacks and 40% fewer call transfers |
| Who it affects | Bank of Ireland customers and staff, especially in fraud, card services and the contact centre |
Questions people ask
- How many transactions does Bank of Ireland check with AI?
- About 2.9 million customer transactions a day, every day of the year, are assessed for fraud by AI-powered scam detection, according to the bank.
- How many Bank of Ireland staff use Microsoft Copilot?
- Almost 7,000 colleagues have completed Copilot training. The bank says users save about 30 minutes a day on average.
- Does Bank of Ireland say which AI vendors it uses?
- It names Microsoft Copilot for staff. The vendors behind fraud detection and the other tools are not stated in the announcement.
Sources
- Bank of Ireland scales up AI across the Group (Bank of Ireland, 21 Oct 2026)
Reference pages
- Bank of Ireland company
- Microsoft company
Spotted an error? See the corrections policy and tell the editor. Facts in this story come from the sources listed above; vendor claims are attributed.
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