Supercharging employee experience and reducing routine work with Gemini at ATB Financial

"Banking is fundamentally based on trust, and we can trust that Gemini is an enterprise-grade application that respects our data and infrastructure security while at the same time allowing us to safely experiment with new generative AI capabilities." — Ian Hargreaves, Data Science Fellow, ATB Financial

Snapshot:

• 40% of team members using Gemini daily
• ~2 hours saved per week with Gemini
• Improved overall impressions and understanding of generative AI 
• Adds generative AI capabilities without compromising security

Origin story

Faced with severe financial challenges during the Great Depression, Alberta established the Alberta Treasury Branches, a government-run institution that fostered financial stability and has continued to serve the province for a century. That institution evolved into ATB Financial (ATB). Today, it’s the largest Alberta-based financial institution, with more than 280 locations and more than $62.3 billion in assets under management. While ATB has changed significantly since its founding, the organization has looked to adopt modern technologies at every stage of its growth to help support the best possible services for its teams and clients.

Within this focus on technological enablement, ATB has a long tradition of using data and analytics to drive business decisions. When the company hired its first in-house data scientist, Ian Hargreaves, it was already using AI solutions in conjunction with its data to identify fraud and adjudicate credit decisions — and since Hargreaves joined, ATB’s AI solutions and data are connected to every part of the business. More recently, generative AI has created a whole new class of AI products and use cases for financial services.

“We found that 53% of our tasks were exposed to generative AI tools, so we knew that to prepare for the future of financial services, we had to take advantage of this new technology quickly,” Hargreaves explains. “At the same time, banking is based on trust. For us, that means we need to also safeguard our client's data as we go.”

The switch to Gemini

Since ATB already used Google Workspace, the team started to explore how Gemini could support the different needs and use cases of its various business units. For example, marketers could use the tool for brainstorming new campaigns while an analyst could benefit from fast access to formulas in Google Sheets. The integration of Gemini into Google Workspace would give ATB an enterprise-grade application that would respect its data and infrastructure security while allowing the team to safely experiment with new generative AI capabilities.

In addition to these safeguards, ATB recognized that implementing Gemini didn’t require anyone to learn a new UI. “Our users suddenly had the Gemini icon in the corner of their existing solutions,” Hargreaves says. “That kind of seamless experience meant we were able to roll out generative AI quickly, which was invaluable.”

Rather than simply telling people how the solution would fit into their workflows, ATB facilitated testing across functions and business units. This approach was essential for gathering feedback, but more importantly, for understanding the most valuable use cases and how each team could leverage the solution for maximum benefit. “We would have been happy if our testers used Gemini once a month, and saved maybe 15 minutes,” Hargreaves says. “In reality, 40% of our team members who were using Gemini used it at least once a day, every day, and saved about two hours per week.”

By the end of the pilot rollout, concerns around gen AI also decreased across the board, suggesting that empowering team members to experiment with the tool helped them understand it and relieved the natural fears that arise around new technologies. Now, ATB has successfully deployed Google Workspace with Gemini to its 5,000+ team members.

One particularly outstanding result came from ATB’s marketing team. They realized very early on that Gemini wasn’t just saving individuals time on their tasks — they were able to strategize new ways they could work together. Rather than waiting for input from subject matter experts for a new campaign idea, they could brainstorm with Gemini, which reduced project timelines by up to two weeks. This shift has inspired teams to seek new ways to reinvent and accelerate processes to better serve ATB’s clients.

Looking ahead

As a data science fellow, Hargreaves’ role is all about understanding and helping ATB adapt to the future of financial services technology — and he says that businesses must embrace early, hands-on experimentation to keep up with the rate of change. “We’re seeing AI, and specifically generative AI, gradually embed itself into more of the technology landscape, and I’m grateful that it’s also now embedded in my research tools,” he shares. “When information is easier to access, we can save time on the more mundane parts of our jobs and instead focus on serving our clients with more authenticity, empathy, and attention.”

As a larger enterprise organization, ATB is more ready than ever to understand the advantages that generative AI brings to its teams. Armed with better insight into how people can use new solutions, the organization can strategically build broader AI programs across the company and ensure these programs grow securely. 

For a deeper dive into how ATB Financial enabled employees to embrace the power of Gemini in their day-to-day work, read Beyond the Prompt: ATB Financial’s 5 tips to drive Workspace with Gemini adoption.