How Itaú is building generative AI for its entire customer base

With ia.i, a conversational interface, and the IARA governance platform, Itaú is applying its AI First strategy to customers and employees — in one of Brazil’s most regulated sectors. Creating a close, personalized experience for millions of customers in a country like Brazil is, first and foremost, a question of simplicity rather than of models. “Much of it is about making something simple, direct, and useful, delivering a direct benefit to the customer, and making the technology almost unnoticeable,” says Carlos Eduardo Mazzei, CTO of Itaú.

The standard he describes is demanding: the solution must solve a real everyday problem and be direct, simple, and memorable. Technology serves as the means, never as the centerpiece of the experience. There is demand for this. A study by Itaú in partnership with Grupo Consumoteca shows that 80% of Brazilians want to better organize their financial lives and seek more effective support for decisions, and that 65% would like technologies that act as a financial copilot, providing ongoing guidance.

The journey began in 2024, when the bank introduced the first Inteligência Itaú capabilities…