Our Approach? Using Artificial Intelligence to Support our Clients and Employees

Disclaimer: The information in this document is general and non-exhaustive. It is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute advice from Societe Generale or Societe Generale Factoring. It is not a substitute for personalised guidance from a professional who can offer solutions tailored to your specific circumstances.

3 questions for Agnès LÉVY-SOUSSAN, Chief Data and AI Officer for the SG French Retail Banking Network 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fast becoming a major driver of economic transformation. The AI Action Summit held in Paris in February 2025 highlighted the scale of this shift. With the launch of the “Dare to Use AI” programme on 1 July 2025, the French government has clearly signalled its ambition to accelerate AI adoption across all businesses in the country.

In this context, companies—from startups to large corporates—are embracing AI technologies to enhance performance and competitiveness. But innovation must also be balanced with responsibility.

What tangible benefits can we expect in today’s increasingly demanding economic environment?

What are the key challenges of AI for a bank like SG?

For 160 years, data has been central to our role as bankers. AI significantly enhances our ability to harness that data to create value. Our approach is simple: use AI to support both our clients and our employees. 

At SG, our retail banking arm in France, our AI strategy is built around three key pillars: 

• Leveraging the potential of generative AI to benefit both clients and employees.
• Optimising key processes through the automation of manual tasks and improved document acquisition and processing.
• Sustaining and expanding existing AI tools and use cases already in operation.

We have already deployed numerous use cases—for example in fraud prevention and personalised financial advice. AI helps advisers recommend the most appropriate services based on a client’s life stage or business context.

This evolution is reshaping the landscape, giving a natural advantage to mid-sized organisations that can experiment quickly and rally teams around practical use cases.

What role does generative AI play in your strategy?

Generative AI opens up exciting new possibilities to enhance the value we offer to both clients and employees. SG is currently focusing on two main applications, centred around intelligent assistants.
The first aims to deliver a seamless, unified omnichannel experience. Every point of contact—website, mobile app, telephone, email—is optimised.

The goal? To provide clients with quick answers to simple queries and, depending on the situation, guide them either to a human adviser or to a digital solution where they can complete their task independently. This allows advisers to focus on more complex needs that require expertise and direct interaction with the client.

The second application is designed to make it easier for employees to access information. A generative AI-enhanced documentary search tool answers advisers’ questions by drawing on the Bank’s knowledge base. Advisers can also view related documents and verify sources.

User feedback is used to continually improve the quality of AI-generated responses.

In 2025, Societe Generale is accelerating its AI initiatives. Is there a flagship project?

Yes—the creation of SocGen AI, a new Group-level entity dedicated to large-scale AI deployment, marks a major turning point. This new structure gives us real momentum to develop innovative solutions closely aligned with each business line.

At the same time, the Group is building a unified technical foundation and strengthening governance to ensure compliance with our standards regarding ethics, security and regulatory requirements.
Rooted in our business model, this transformation allows us to envision a future where technology unlocks human potential.