U.S. banking giant Citi has hired a former Google AI specialist and reorganised its companywide AI organisation. The move is aimed at strengthening capabilities in technology development, operations and safety management as it begins introducing AI agents into financial work in earnest.

American Banker reported on Oct. 19 that Citi appointed Sebastian Gnagnarella (세바스티안 그나냐렐라), a former Google engineering director, as head of applied AI and its agent factory.

At Google, Gnagnarella led deployments of the Gemini Enterprise platform for corporate clients. At Citi, he will oversee the development framework for AI agents and the building of AI applications to be applied to actual financial work.

This is not Citi's first hire from Google. In March, it hired Brian Saluzzo (브라이언 살루초), who previously worked at Google, as chief information officer.

Citi also reshuffled internal roles. Aida Filipovic (아이다 필리포비치) will lead responsible AI, managing safety, ethics and governance frameworks. Niamh O'Sullivan (니암 오설리번) will head AI strategy, while Sheetal Chanderkar (시털 찬데르카르) will serve as chief operating officer of the companywide AI organisation.

Citi currently provides workplace AI tools to more than 180,000 employees in 87 countries. It has also applied AI to know-your-customer work and wealth management services.

Productivity gains are also emerging from the AI rollout. Jane Fraser (제인 프레이저), Citi's chief executive officer, said in a recent third-quarter earnings announcement that AI use has sped up new product launches by 30 to 40 percent.

About 14,000 engineers are using Cognition's AI coding tool Devin. Citi also said it cut costs paid to external technology vendors by 30 percent from a year earlier while boosting in-house development capabilities.

Competition to secure AI talent in the banking industry is also intensifying. Draup said AI-related job postings in the banking industry over the past year totalled about 140,000, up 49 percent from a year earlier.

Citi's reshuffle is seen as a strategy to integrate not only AI adoption but also practical application, operational efficiency and risk management.