Ricardo Oliver, Data Manager at BBVA Spain: “We already use AI many times without even realizing it”

Although we don’t know it, most of us have used a lot of artificial intelligence systems in the last 24 hours. This can be done by searching Google, opening a weather app, using a virtual map to navigate, or selecting a movie on a streaming platform. Ricardo Oliver, head of data at BBVA Spain, remembers that it is not only applications such as ChatGPT that are based on artificial intelligence, a technology that “we use many times without even realizing it.”

This is how he began his conversation with EL CORREO journalist Marta Madruga, who asked him to briefly describe what AI is: “Simply put, artificial intelligence is the ability of machines to perform tasks that we usually attribute to intelligence. Things like learning, data analysis or decision making,” Oliver responded, admitting that his rapid development was surprising.

“Machine learning has come to be used primarily for forecasting, combining analysis of large amounts of data and algorithms that transform it into predictions or recommendations,” he explained. This is what happens when we sit in front of the TV and the platform offers us content based on our previous behavior.

However, the big leap came from deep learning. “It tries to mimic the behavior of the human brain by analyzing much more complex data. Then more stunning results began to emerge,” Oliver said. Transcription or image recognition systems use this technology, which culminates, at least for now, in generative artificial intelligence. “This is the one that fascinates us because it has the ability to create new content,” he added.

Oliver sees two key elements in this revolution: large language models and massive data collection. “To give you an idea, ChatGPT was trained on 300 billion words,” he says. This allowed him, for example, to offer answers tailored to the context. The BBVA manager makes a comparison with the Google search engine: “It offers you links to texts and content that someone has previously published. ChatGPT no. You have studied the topic and can give a specific answer in terms of the question. “You can explain it simply for a teenager to understand, or in more detail for an expert.”

But if there is one thing that characterizes these systems, it is their imperfection. For this reason, an army of people must constantly feed, adjust and adjust the models, which also need to be refined to avoid bias and, as is known in technology jargon, “hallucinations”.

Everything is at the customer’s service

Like any other technology, AI can be used for both good and bad purposes. In the case of companies, this is already an important tool in many processes. “At BBVA we want to be at the forefront, always introducing new technologies to improve customer service. We did this in the era of digitalization at one time and we are doing it again in the era of artificial intelligence,” the manager added, emphasizing that the bank has been using artificial intelligence systems for 15 years.

They are becoming increasingly relevant in departments such as risk, fraud or security, and are also used for economic forecasts. But for clients, Oliver identifies four main applications. The first is related to financial health. “For example, we can alert them that they may be over-tightened or that an unusual movement has reached them. And also remind them that they did not perform a normal operation,” he lists.

Then there is the personalization of the mobile application depending on the client’s profile, “because an investor is not the same as a pensioner,” developing a virtual assistant with whom you can interact to resolve increasingly complex doubts and even ask questions. transactions. Finally, Oliver highlights “a language model for classifying complaints across multiple channels so that they can be addressed and resolved much more quickly.”