As use cases for AI proliferate, one form is that of the AI work "coach," now being rolled out across Singapore's DBS.

DBS has launched “iCoach,” a generative AI-powered platform to help coach its workforce. The offering has been developed alongside Marshall Goldsmith, an executive coach.

The Singapore-headquartered bank sees the iCoach platform as a more efficient way of guiding staff than one-to-one coaching. The rollout also shows the ways in which use cases for AI in wealth management and private banking are continuing to develop. (See related articles here and here from WealthBriefingAsia.)

iCoach is available 24/7 to provide employees with personalised career guidance. It draws on the context of the bank’s roles, functions and internal mobility pathways to deliver relevant and actionable career advice. 

DBS cited data from International Coaching Federation and Better Up Career Coaching that shows that 70 per cent of people in organisations who were coached had improved work performance, relationships and more effective communication skills. 

“As the world of work continues to evolve, building career resilience has become more important than ever,” Lee Yan Hong, head of group human resources, DBS, said. 

Dr Goldsmith, the coach working with DBS on this initiative, has more than four decades’ experience working with executives, including those from Fortune 500 companies. Dr Goldsmith was inducted by Thinkers50 into its Hall of Fame in 2018 and is the only two-time Thinkers50 #1 Leadership Thinker in the World. He was also the inaugural winner of the Lifetime Award for Leadership by the Harvard Institute of Coaching.

The bank’s actions also underscore why talent management is a major issue for the financial services sector. (See this interview, for example, with Liechtenstein-headquartered VP Bank – a bank which operates in jurisdictions including Singapore.)

Other DBS talent management services include “iGrow,” an AI/machine learning-powered platform that offers personalised career advice; DBS Mentoring Programme, which connects employees with leaders and peers; DBS Learning Hub, which provides employees with more than 10,000 curated courses; and Be My Guest Programme, where employees have the opportunity to participate in job shadowing, workshops and projects across departments. 

In March this year, Toronto-headquartered Manulife, which operates in a number of regions including Asia-Pacific, broadcast its digital efforts by announcing that more than three-quarters of its global workforce are using generative AI.