Citi Gen AI Summit 2025 Takeaways: The evolution of Gen AI at Citi

I had the honor of kicking off the third annual Citi Gen AI Summit by talking with David Griffiths, Citi’s Chief Technology Officer, Head of Emerging Technology and Strategic Partnerships.

In December, Citi launched a suite of Generative AI-powered tools to simplify work and help colleagues be more productive. Harnessing the power of AI is not new for Citi, which has been investing in, testing and deploying the technology in various ways during the last several years.

My conversation with David focused on Citi’s AI journey, initial learnings about Citi’s AI-powered tools and how the Tech organization is incorporating those findings to prepare for future innovation. Here are my key takeaways:

People are at the heart of Citi’s effort to accelerate AI adoption

Citi recently announced that three top executives — Gonzalo Luchetti, Head of U.S. Personal Banking; Tim Ryan, Head of Technology and Business Enablement; and Anand Selva, Chief Operating Officer — had joined forces to co-sponsor Citi’s AI work globally. The goal is to accelerate the firm’s AI strategy by connecting teams and partners, prioritizing resources, and expediting use cases across businesses and functions.

To support that effort, more than 2,000 Citi colleagues from across the globe have stepped up to be part of the firm’s AI Champions and AI Accelerator programs. These colleagues will support adoption of AI tools at Citi and provide feedback to the Tech organization on ways to improve Gen AI tools in real time.

David articulated it best when he talked about the power of people as it relates to AI adoption: “This is just as much about the people as it is the technology.”

Citi is uniquely focused when it comes to scaling Gen AI

Like any other complex organization, Citi has to navigate a host of architectural and engineering decisions when it comes to deploying — and scaling — technology. Citi has been successful by following these principles:

1. Keep it simple: Technology, specifically Gen AI, is evolving at a breakneck speed, so it is important to move quickly. Citi identifies clear use cases to help streamline the deployment process.
2. Scale when ready: Increasing tools’ user base helps Citi identify, then mitigate, challenges and create enterprise-wide solutions.
3. Incorporate feedback: User feedback is essential to improving Gen AI tools. Citi has become adept at understanding how people use its tools and iterating to make them as useful as possible.

Delighting clients is central to Citi’s Gen AI strategy

Improving internal efficiency and productivity is important for Citi, but the underlying focus remains on using Gen AI to enhance client experiences and deliver more personalized, proactive engagements.

Citi is doing this in the following ways:

1. Citi Stylus and Citi Assist: Give colleagues the most relevant information to better understand clients and help them have more tailored interactions.
2. Timely solutions: Gen AI helps Citi colleagues deliver more timely solutions to clients and even anticipate their needs based on previous interactions.
3. High-quality content: Looking ahead, Citi is making sure Gen AI creates high-quality, value-add content that engages potential customers through sales and marketing channels.

Conclusion

Overall, Citi is well positioned to capitalize on Gen AI and its many applications. By the end of my fireside chat with David, I was left with an appreciation for the thoughtfulness and care that has informed Citi’s overall Gen AI strategy. Citi Ventures has contributed to this journey by investing in and collaborating with many of the world’s top AI startups. I am excited for what is to come and glad to have David as a partner in our technology efforts.