Lloyds to train entire workforce in AI

Aim is to help staff use AI tools in their everyday roles

Lloyds Banking Group is to put all 67,000 of its employees through AI training as part of a major digital transformation drive.

The banking giant said every member of staff would be expected to complete the training by the end of the year, as it looks to embed AI across its day-to-day operations.

The initiative centres on a newly launched AI Academy, which will begin rolling out content from January.

Lloyds said the programme would include interactive learning modules, short courses, podcasts, articles and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, delivered through the group's internal learning platform.

Employees will initially be required to complete a compulsory module on working with AI responsibly, focusing on the safe and ethical use of AI technology in line with the bank's internal standards.

Lloyds said the aim is to help staff use AI tools in their everyday roles, saving time, improving services for customers and potentially boosting revenues.

The bank has invested several million pounds in AI-related initiatives and wants its entire workforce to be "AI literate" by the end of 2026.

Ron van Kemenade, the group's chief operating officer, said scaling up the use of AI depended on turning ideas into practical applications.

"By investing in the skills of our people, we can do this responsibly and at pace," he added.

Sharon Doherty, Lloyds' chief people and places officer, said the academy would give staff practical tools to use AI with confidence.

"Upskilling our colleagues is central to how we transform," she said. "By investing in our people, we're strengthening the skills that matter most in a workplace already supported by AI."

The announcement comes at a time of significant change for the banking group, which includes Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland. The company has been reducing its high-street footprint and restructuring parts of its business. Last year, Lloyds confirmed plans to close a further 136 branches, with the programme due to finish by the end of March 2026.

In September, the bank revealed a new performance policy that put around 3,000 lower-performing staff at risk of dismissal, as part of efforts to create what it described as a "high-performance culture".

The latest move builds on earlier AI-focused training at Lloyds. Last year, more than 200 senior leaders took part in an intensive 80-hour programme designed to help executives identify opportunities for AI and lead its implementation across the business.

Lloyds is not alone in stepping up its use of AI.

Spain's Banco Santander has announced plans to introduce mandatory AI training for all staff this year, after the technology helped deliver more than €200m in cost savings in 2024.

Industry analysts say European banks face growing pressure to invest in AI skills if they are to keep pace with competitors in the United States.

Last year, an analysis by research firm Forrester found that US companies were more likely than European firms to provide regular and effective AI training. According to the report, 52% of US employees said they had received formal AI training, compared with 39% in Europe.

The study warned that many organisations overestimate how well prepared their staff is to work with the technology.

Forrester recommended a mix of classroom learning, social collaboration and hands-on experience, arguing that practical, on-the-job use was key to building lasting AI skills.