Lloyds to put all 67,000 staff through AI training in fresh digital push

Lloyds Banking Group is putting its 67,000-strong workforce through artificial intelligence (AI) training as part of a multi-million pound drive to adopt the technology.

All employees of the banking group will be expected to complete the course by the end of the year.

The new AI Academy comes on the back of chief executive Charlie Nunn and his entire executive committee being enrolled into a bespoke training programme in a push to drive change from the top of the organisation.

The decision to put all staff through training, regardless of their role or seniority, marks a significant step forward in the bank’s digital overhaul.

To begin, employees will complete a short module on “working with AI responsibly”, which teaches about the safe and ethical use of the technology in line with the standards set out by the bank.

Lloyds hopes to train its workforce to utilise the technology in their day-to-way work, with the aim of saving time, providing new services for customers and potentially bringing in more money.

It has invested several million pounds into such initiatives and wants 100% of its workforce to be “AI literate” by the end of 2026.

It comes at a time when the group – which incorporates Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland – has been trimming back its branch network and overhauling its IT division.

At the beginning of 2025, it announced the closure of 136 more high-street branches, which is set to complete at the end of March this year.

Furthermore, a new policy unveiled in September meant that around 3,000 of its lowest-performing staff were put at risk of dismissal in a bid to embed a “high-performance culture” within the bank.

The practice meant employees that managers deem to be underperforming can be put on “structured support” plans – but face losing their jobs if improvements are not ultimately made.