How is BMO training and organizing its workforce for AI?
BMO's workforce approach is to train everyone and promise growth without AI-driven cuts. AI for All, launched in August 2025, gives every employee a foundation in how AI works and how to use it responsibly; Kristin Milchanowski, now chief AI and quantum officer, says it reached 'nearly a 100% try-out rate'. Adoption is above 96% of employees (April 2026), 95% of teams use AI daily (August 2026), and the 2026 Investor Day counted 2,000-plus developers using AI toward a 20-30% productivity goal. Evident's 2025 index ranked BMO joint first globally for AI talent development, citing role-based paths such as AI for Leaders, a Pluralsight program in which AI-related learning engagement rose 222% year on year, the Destination Digital prototyping sprint and support for McGill, Rotman and Waterloo. On jobs, Milchanowski calls AI-related layoffs 'lazy' and says BMO will grow while keeping headcount level; chief HR officer Mona Malone says 'I don't see AI as the workforce. It's a way of getting work done.' A network of AI champions supports adoption, and the Vector Institute partnership feeds training and recruiting. BMO publishes no U.S.-specific AI headcount or training figures.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Data as of Oct 16, 2026 · BMO profile updated Oct 13, 2026 · 17 sources cited on this page · 140 banks profiled on this site · Markdown
Which AI training and talent programs does BMO run?
| Program | What it is | Date |
|---|---|---|
| AI for All | Foundational course for every employee on how AI works, responsible use, ethics and governance; staff learn they remain accountable for AI-assisted work | Launched August 2025[1][6][8] |
| Role-based learning paths | Curated paths in AI, cloud, agile and cybersecurity, including 'Artificial Intelligence Foundations for Non-Technical Roles' and 'AI for Leaders' | October 2025[6] |
| Pluralsight tech foundations | 60% year-on-year increase in employees mastering business-critical skills; AI-related learning engagement up 222% | October 2025[6] |
| Destination Digital | Innovation sprint where employees prototype AI solutions; successful prototypes are funded | October 2025[6] |
| AI champions network | Champions across BMO who embed AI into workflows alongside AI for All | November 2025[9] |
| Agile Centre of Excellence | Staff learning program that won Digital Banker's Outstanding Staff Training award | October 30, 2025[11] |
| Vector Institute | Platinum partnership including upskilling and recruitment pipelines for AI talent | May 28, 2026[10] |
| Hiring profile | Recruits AI talent from neuroscience, law and philosophy as well as technical fields; internships, graduate roles and individual-contributor tracks for AI developers | October 2025[6] |
What adoption and productivity figures has BMO published?
| Measure | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Employee AI adoption | Above 96% | April 24, 2026[3] |
| Teams using AI daily | 95% | August 6, 2026[4] |
| Developers using AI / productivity target | 2,000-plus / 20-30% | March 26, 2026[5] |
| Employee prompts since launch | About 10 million | March 26, 2026[5] |
| Lumi effect on new employees | +17% productivity | August 25, 2026[12] |
| Evident AI Index, talent development | Joint #1 globally (2025) | October 23, 2025[6] |
What has BMO said about AI and jobs?
Milchanowski told American Banker in June 2026 that using AI as a reason for layoffs is 'lazy' and that BMO will grow while keeping headcount level. Mona Malone frames employees by skills rather than tasks, so roles are reconstructed rather than replaced.[7][8]
In the U.S., the commercial bank plans to grow from about 800 to 960 commercial bankers by fiscal 2028, and its head, Tony Sciarrino, says AI efficiencies fund hiring. BMO has not published U.S.-specific training or AI headcount figures.[13]
What does the BMO profile record on this topic?
The rows below are the entries of the BMO AI strategy profile that bear on this page, as of Oct 13, 2026; the profile holds the full record of 38 dated moves, 16 use cases and 50 sources.
| Use case | What the record shows | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumi Assistant | Employee assistant over policies and procedures. | In production | [14] |
| AI coding assistants for 2,000+ developers | Group-wide AI usage across more than 2,000 software developers with a 20-30% productivity target; AI-enabled documentation, development, testing, deployment and monitoring. | In production | [5][15] |
| Date | Move | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2026 | Q3 2026 call: personalise, augment, automate | CEO says AI is 'already creating significant value'; Lumi raised new-employee productivity by 17% and is being extended to client conversations. | [12] |
| Jun 17, 2026 | 'It's lazy': AI layoffs rejected | BMO will grow while keeping headcount level, using AI. | [7] |
| Apr 9, 2026 | Institute for Applied AI & Quantum established | Milchanowski appointed Chief AI & Quantum Officer; adoption above 96%. | [16][17] |
| Mar 26, 2026 | Investor Day AI scorecard | Deck: 2,000+ developers targeting 20-30% productivity, about 10 million employee prompts, $1B+ PPPT by fiscal 2030; U.S. Banking slide lists AIM, Nova, Lexi, ARM and Aura. Darryl White: agentic AI is embedded in client services and credit decisioning. | [5][15] |
| Oct 23, 2025 | Evident AI Index 2025: joint #1 for AI talent development | BMO climbed five places overall; Mona Malone and Kristin Milchanowski cite AI for All, Pluralsight learning and the Destination Digital sprint. | [6] |
| Jun 24, 2025 | Lumi Assistant introduced | Instant access to 8,000-plus policies and procedures for Canadian P&BB teams. | [14] |
What is AI for All at BMO?
AI for All is BMO's enterprise-wide AI course, introduced in August 2025, that gives every employee a foundation in how AI works, how to use it responsibly and how BMO applies it. Kristin Milchanowski says it had nearly a 100% try-out rate, and it teaches staff that they stay accountable for AI-assisted work.
How many BMO employees use AI?
BMO said in April 2026 that AI adoption exceeds 96% of employees, and in August 2026 that 95% of its teams use AI daily. Its March 2026 Investor Day counted about 10 million employee prompts since launch and more than 2,000 software developers using AI with a 20-30% productivity target.
Is BMO cutting jobs because of AI?
BMO says no. Chief AI and quantum officer Kristin Milchanowski called AI-related layoffs 'lazy' in June 2026 and said BMO can grow while keeping headcount level, and the U.S. commercial bank plans to add commercial bankers, funded partly by AI efficiencies, according to its head Tony Sciarrino.
How did BMO rank for AI talent?
Evident's 2025 AI Index ranked BMO joint first among the world's top 50 banks for AI talent development, and BMO climbed five places overall. BMO cited AI for All, role-based learning paths, Pluralsight, the Destination Digital sprint and support for McGill, Rotman and Waterloo.
- BMO's Kristin Milchanowski Named to AI Magazine's Top 100 AI Leaders 2026 List
- Kristin Milchanowski's AI for All initiative
- BMO Launches Return on Intelligence Podcast
- Aura: Helping power BMO's goal of 50% faster underwriting by 2028
- 2026 BMO Investor Day presentation
- BMO Earns Top Recognition for AI Talent Development in Global Banking
- 'It's lazy:' BMO's Milchanowski on AI-related layoffs
- How to shift your workforce from AI experimentation to adoption (originally in The Logic)
- BMO sets the standard for responsible AI agent adoption
- BMO Renews Five-Year Partnership with Vector Institute to Advance Responsible AI
- BMO Wins 11 Honours for AI and Digital Innovation
- BMO (BMO) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- BMO eyes top-5 commercial bank status with California push
- Meet Lumi Assistant: BMO's award-winning AI tool empowering Team BMO
- March 26, 2026 BMO Investor Day (transcript)
- BMO Establishes Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence & Quantum
- BMO launches AI, quantum computing institute
When BMO moves on AI, you'll read it here first.
when one of the banks we cover moves on AI, it is in the next morning's brief · six sourced stories · 7 am ET · free
plus every tracker, bank and agent page update, the morning after · leave any morning