Key facts
- BNY Mellon has over 150 'digital employees' in production.
- Digital employees have unique login credentials and human managers.
- BNY Mellon's AI strategy prioritizes platform development and workforce training.
- Over 1,400 employees graduated from 40-hour AI bootcamps in 2025.
- BNY Mellon's Eliza platform supports multiple AI models and is used by 97% of its staff.
BNY Mellon is strategically deploying over 150 AI agents, termed 'digital employees,' as part of a mature AI strategy that prioritizes foundational platform development and workforce readiness. These digital employees are equipped with unique login credentials, email addresses, and are assigned to human managers for oversight and task assignment. The bank's approach, which contrasts with many industry peers, focuses on building a robust AI platform, Eliza, before scaling autonomous agents in core operations. Eliza, launched in 2023, supports multiple AI models and is now utilized by approximately 97% of BNY Mellon's workforce, enabling employees to build custom agents for tasks like summarizing risk reports and generating client insights. Over 1,400 employees completed intensive AI bootcamps in 2025, with nearly half of the staff now building their own agents. Digital employees are performing tasks such as validating cross-border payments and repairing code, with performance tracked via live dashboards. Despite a 7% year-on-year headcount reduction by mid-2026, the bank has tripled intern and analyst classes since 2022, indicating AI is used to create capacity for growth rather than solely cut jobs.