Artificial intelligence (AI) is part of our teams’ daily life at Santander. To encourage its widespread use, the Group has taken internal training up a notch by creating learning communities and offering numerous courses and programmes to employees. At the same time, the bank has implemented an operating model known as “Data & AI” to expedite projects and broaden the scope of solutions with the biggest impact.
Banco Santander is ramping up the use of AI by its 185,000 employees through training tailored to the level of knowledge and specific needs of each team, which in turn helps enrich customer service. Between 2025 and April 2026, some 35,000 Group employees received over 125,000 hours of AI training. This includes practical courses on ChatGPT, Maisa, Devin, and other leading tools.
At the heart of the training model is the “AI DO Academy”. It’s a global space to help all our employees embed AI in their work in a practical and simple way, and at their own pace. The bank’s teams can undergo training programmes tailored to their role, learn through actual tools, and apply what they learn in use cases that mirror their day to day.
Over 42,000 people form part of Santander's global AI community, where they exchange information on tools, use cases, and advanced programmes. What’s more, over 600 of them have received training to become “AI Catalysts”, a role designed to ensure the implementation of AI to enhance decision-making, optimize daily operations, and forge an even more efficient relationship with customers.
Santander also runs programmes such as “AI Booster” for leaders to embed AI in their way of working and act as AI torchbearers within the organization. And we’re also creating internal communities (e.g. “S Community”) for our teams to exchange use cases, best practice and learning, and to speed up AI adoption organically.
Operating model
This programme is one of the key components of the new Data & AI operating model through which Banco Santander is driving the implementation of AI across the organization. Created in 2025, Data & AI comprises over 4,500 employees who work to ensure the widespread rollout of AI in every command chain.
In its first year, Data & AI has evolved the bank’s way of working and achieved a structural and scalable model. This owes to a strategy based on several lines of action, including better decision-making through the consistent use of reliable, high-quality data. On top of this is the ability to broaden the use of advanced analytical models to create business value faster and on a larger scale. Last, this initiative seeks to harness the power of AI to enhance customer experience and optimize the bank’s operating model.
