Scotiabank launches Scotia Intelligence for governed AI

Scotiabank has launched Scotia Intelligence, a framework that unifies AI platforms, data oversight, governance and security into a single instance. The bank said the framework includes Scotia Navigator, an employee-facing tool that lets staff build and deploy AI assistants under the bank’s rules.

Scotia Intelligence is designed to give employees, especially client-facing teams, controlled access to AI tools while keeping activity inside existing governance and security frameworks. Scotiabank also published a short data ethics commitment paper the bank described as unique in Canada.

Scotia Navigator provides assistive AI across business units to support decision-making and software development. The tool enables employees to create and deploy custom AI assistants within the bank’s governance rules. Automated code generation is highlighted for technical teams; generated code must pass security and auditability checks before it is used in production.

The bank shared usage figures presented to support wider AI deployment. AI now handles more than 40% of client queries in contact centers. AI automatically forwards roughly 90% of commercial emails addressed to Scotiabank, cutting the manual work involved by about 70%.

In retail digital banking the framework supports predictive payment prompts in the mobile app to help customers manage recurring bills, send email money transfers and move funds between Scotiabank accounts.

Tim Clark, Scotiabank’s group head and chief information officer, described Scotia Intelligence as combining the bank’s existing infrastructure with AI functions that link computing environments, governance and security so employees can use the technology with greater confidence.

Phil Thomas, group head and chief strategy and operating officer, characterized the launch as part of the bank’s client-focused AI strategy and noted the tools should free employees to spend more time on higher-value work.

Scotiabank stated that all AI uses are reviewed internally for fairness, transparency and accountability before deployment. Employees working with Scotia Intelligence must complete mandatory training and provide annual attestations.

The bank did not disclose technical architecture, costs, model strategy or external benchmarks, leaving total return on investment unclear. Scotiabank said it sees scope to use agents for research and analytics and to add more autonomous, context-aware and action-oriented capabilities over time if current projects deliver cost reductions, greater automation, increased code generation and improved customer experiences.