Itaú deploys ia.i conversational AI and IARA governance platform for 70M customers

Itaú is implementing its AI First strategy through ia.i, a conversational interface designed to simplify financial management for its approximately 70 million customers. The initiative prioritizes making technology unnoticeable by solving everyday problems with direct, simple interactions. Currently in its first phase with 300,000 users, ia.i integrates text and voice commands for checking accounts, credit, cards, and insurance, aiming for full customer base coverage by the end of 2026.

Governance and Scale with IARA

To manage AI at scale in a highly regulated sector, Itaú built IARA, a governance and orchestration platform that controls access to various models, including those from OpenAI. IARA addresses cost control per token, response accuracy, and Responsible AI policies. This infrastructure supports internal solutions such as the legal department’s document analysis system, which operates on a repository of more than 90 million documents and executes over 2 million tasks per month, yielding efficiency gains of 20% to 80%.

Customer DNA and Model Selection

The core of ia.i is Customer DNA, a financial context layer that helps the bank understand the needs and habits of its users. GPT-5.x models are among the components used to maintain and enrich this representation. Itaú selected a range of models rather than a single one to balance cost and latency for simple tasks with the reasoning capabilities required for complex financial advice. This approach allows the bank to deliver a unified experience that connects customers to specialized human support when necessary.

Internal Efficiency and Future Goals

The AI First strategy also extends to employees, providing tools for summaries, meeting preparation, and plan development. Itaú projects that these internal tools will result in three times more time available for customer relationships, service up to twice as fast, and conversations up to three times more effective. Future capabilities for ia.i include product simulations, sign-ups, and recurring financial analyses of income and expenses.