Citi, the US banking group, is introducing an artificial intelligence avatar called Citi Sky that will sit alongside human financial advisers on its wealth management platforms, marking the bank's first deployment of AI directly into its client-facing wealth services.
The tool was unveiled at Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas and is powered by Google Cloud and Google DeepMind, built on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform using DeepMind's real-time avatar technology and Gemini's live audio and video models to enable low-latency conversational interactions.
Citigold clients, the bank's premium tier requiring high account balances, will gain access in a phased rollout beginning this summer in the United States, with initial support in English and Spanish and additional languages to follow.
The assistant is designed to provide market insights from Citi Wealth's chief investment office, deliver timely prompts around events such as certificate of deposit maturities, and allow clients to ask questions and act on financial decisions through natural voice and video conversation.
"We believe Citi Sky will change the model of wealth management," said Andy Sieg, Citi's head of wealth.
"For decades, managing your financial life meant navigating apps, calls and meetings. With Citi Sky, you simply ask and act."
Sieg stressed that the tool is intended to extend the reach of human advisers rather than replace them, adding that Citi Wealth plans to increase its adviser headcount in the coming years.
The launch deepens a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud that began roughly two years ago to support Citi's broader digital strategy.
The bank has already deployed AI internally through CitiScribe, a note-taking tool that rolled out to all wealth advisers in North America in the first quarter, and Client 360, a consolidated dashboard giving advisers single-screen access to holdings, call logs and client interests.
Citi Sky represents the first time these AI capabilities have been turned outward to face clients directly.
The development drew on Google's full AI stack, from cloud infrastructure to Gemini models, with Google Cloud's forward-deployed AI engineers working alongside Citi on deployment.
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Interactions are built on a secure data foundation designed to comply with regulatory standards, the bank said.
"The future of financial services lies in the ability to turn vast amounts of data into conversational, actionable intelligence for investors," said Thomas Kurian, chief executive of Google Cloud.
The recap
- Citi launches AI avatar Citi Sky for Citigold clients.
- Built on Gemini Enterprise and Google DeepMind technologies.
- Phased roll-out starts this summer; initial support in English and Spanish.
