BBVA Bank Reduced AI Development Times from Weeks to Hours: How Experts Became Innovation Drivers

BBVA Bank, one of the largest financial holdings with over 125,000 employees, made a breakthrough in AI implementation: in just five months, they developed over 2,900 internal AI applications, cutting project implementation times from weeks to hours. The key to success was empowering employees to independently create solutions using AI agents, under the supervision of legal, compliance, and IT security teams.

AI implementation often gets bogged down in bureaucracy, long development cycles, and a misunderstanding of real business needs. Companies spend millions on complex projects that ultimately fail to deliver expected results because development is disconnected from those who will use it daily. But there is another way, where AI becomes a tool in the hands of the experts themselves, who best understand their problems and can solve them.

AI Transformation: Challenges and Opportunities

Today, AI is spreading faster than the internet once did: within two years, 39% of American adults have already tried working with this technology. Companies actively adopting AI show impressive financial results: their revenue grows 1.5 times faster than competitors, shareholder returns are 1.6 times higher, and return on equity is 1.4 times higher.

However, despite the obvious advantages, the overall level of AI adoption across various industries remains low. Many companies plan to increase their AI investments, but only a small fraction consider these investments to be sound. This indicates that for most, the true value of AI has not yet been fully realized.

Why Experts, Not Technicians, Drive Success

The traditional approach to AI implementation often focuses on complex technical solutions developed by separate teams. Such projects can be impressive but often lead to delays and do not meet the real needs of end-users. The core value of AI, as analysis has shown, lies in key business functions—finance, marketing, sales, product development—rather than in bold but detached experiments.

It is precisely subject matter experts, employees who daily face specific problems and know their processes inside out, who become the drivers of targeted AI solutions. When AI tools are put in their hands, they are capable of creating truly working solutions that accelerate innovation.

How BBVA Bank Revolutionized Its AI Development Approach

Macquarie Bank, recognizing this principle, made a strategic decision: instead of creating a centralized AI development team, they provided their employees, experts in various fields, with access to AI agents. Under strict control from legal, compliance, and IT security, employees were empowered to independently create AI solutions for their needs.

The agent was required to perform several key functions: understanding natural language queries, assisting with code generation, drafting documents, analyzing data, and automating routine tasks. The main goal was not just to provide a tool, but to make it accessible and intuitive for everyone, regardless of deep technical knowledge.

Implementation: From Idea to 2,900 Applications in 5 Months

Implementation began with employee training and the creation of a safe environment for experimentation. The bank actively encouraged internal hackathons, workshops, and peer-learning programs to help employees quickly grasp the potential of AI agents. A unique aspect of the approach was that employees themselves created an "anti-to-do list"—a list of routine tasks they wished to delegate to AI.

This quickly identified the most in-demand AI use cases: from summarizing meetings and drafting product requirements to answering repetitive customer questions and monitoring KPIs. As a result, over 2,900 AI applications were developed in five months, significantly reducing project implementation times—from weeks to hours.

Results: Measurable Success and a New Culture

Despite the lack of precise figures on saved hours or financial benefits, the very fact that thousands of AI applications were created by employees, rather than a centralized team, speaks to a colossal acceleration of innovation. BBVA Bank successfully transformed its culture, making AI a tool for every employee, not just the prerogative of niche specialists. This unleashed creative potential and significantly increased efficiency at all levels of the organization.

How to Replicate This in Your Business: The Path to Self-Driven AI Transformation

The BBVA Bank case demonstrates that successful AI implementation does not always require massive investments in complex projects. Sometimes, it's enough to put the right tools in the hands of those who best know how to use them.

• Decentralize AI development. Empower employees, experts in their fields, to create AI solutions for their needs. Ensure security and compliance, but do not stifle initiative.
• Start with training and support. Organize hackathons, workshops, and create an internal community for knowledge sharing. The faster employees master AI agents, the sooner they will bring value.
• Focus on the "anti-to-do list." Ask employees to list routine tasks they would like to automate. This will help identify the most in-demand and effective AI scenarios.
• Iterative development is key to success. Instead of long planning cycles, implement AI solutions in small steps, gather feedback, and continuously improve them.

If this case sounds like what's happening in your company, our manager can help: he'll analyze your business and niche for free and point out where an AI agent would bring a real result in your case. Message the manager