Shinhan Bank announced on the 28th that it has replaced the Pyeongchon Nam branch and Daegu Dasa branch in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, into an unmanned store ‘Digital Lounge’ (pictured) with artificial intelligence (AI) bankers. For the first time among domestic financial companies, ‘AI Banker’ is in charge of customer service and business processing. It is evaluated as an example of an effort to melt the emotions of face-to-face services into digital financial services. ▶Refer to page A2 of this paper dated June 23, 2021
Shinhan Bank’s digital lounge is characterized by digital devices such as a ‘smart kiosk’ where customers can create new accounts and issue cards on their own, and a ‘digital desk’ that enables financial consultation with employees through real-time video calls. Just because it’s an unmanned store, doesn’t mean that there aren’t any employees. It is explained that the minimum number of employees is assigned to each branch in order to respond to consumers who are uncomfortable with using digital devices.
When a store starts work using a kiosk, an AI banker responds to the consumer. AI banker is a kind of ‘digital human’ that is realized by learning the way of speaking, gestures, and voice of branch employees with AI. Consumers can have two-way conversations with AI bankers. It is trained to understand more than 95% of human voice, so it is possible to conduct simple daily conversations as well as consulting in banking. Recognition speed is also very fast, which is at a level that can make any conversation without interruption.
AI Banker analyzes customer conversations and guides them to necessary tasks. It also serves to help consumers verify their identity by registering biometric information on their face and palm veins, and to facilitate banking operations such as withdrawals and transfers. . When the conversation with the AI is finished, the kiosk converts various forms to the touch screen.
The reason why Shinhan Bank’s ‘AI Banker’ was put to the forefront was due to the development of online finance and concerns that the number of consumers visiting branches is gradually decreasing due to COVID-19. With the reduction of stores and manpower at large banks becoming inevitable, the use of AI bankers will enable consumers who are likely to be marginalized from financial services to receive similar services.
Shinhan Bank plans to expand AI Banker to about 850 branches nationwide in the near future. AI Banker also has a ‘learning function’. The service can be upgraded in the future as response data is accumulated.
Other large banks are also preparing to introduce AI bankers like Shinhan Bank. Kookmin Bank has a plan to upgrade the AI kiosk introduced at the ‘AI Experience Zone’ in Yeouido, Seoul in March, and have an AI banker sit at the front-line store window within the year. have. Woori Bank also signed a business agreement with AI startup Ryan Rocket to develop an AI banker.
A senior Shinhan Bank official said, “The digital lounge is an attempt to melt the emotions of face-to-face sales in non-face-to-face digital financial services.
By Kim Dae-hoon, staff reporter daepun@hankyung.com
ⓒ Hankyung.com, unauthorized reprinting and redistribution prohibited
