CBA Shares AI Model to Combat Tech Abuse

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Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has recently announced initiatives aimed at curbing technology-facilitated abuse on an international scale. The bank has made its artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) capabilities accessible to banks worldwide, with the aim of assisting in the identification of digital payment transactions involving offensive or threatening messages, commonly known as technology-facilitated abuse.

Angela MacMillan, the group customer advocate at CBA, emphasized the significance of addressing financial abuse, particularly when money is used as a means of controlling others. She underscored the importance of the AI model in detecting and flagging high-risk transactions associated with abusive or harassing behavior, thereby enabling the bank to take appropriate actions to safeguard customers.

With an annual detection rate of approximately 1,500 high-risk cases, the AI model developed by CBA is set to provide vital support to financial institutions globally, promoting enhanced visibility and enabling proactive measures to protect customers. The bank has made its source code and model available to other banks worldwide through its collaboration with H2O.ai on GitHub, a leading platform for hosting source code.

In addition to its AI-driven approach, CBA has implemented an automatic filter to block digital payment transactions containing offensive or threatening language, an initiative that has successfully prevented nearly one million transactions since its launch in 2020. This comprehensive strategy, which includes AI and ML technologies, is designed to detect various forms of abuse within transactions, facilitating manual reviews and subsequent actions by the bank.

This announcement builds upon the bank’s ongoing efforts to combat technology-facilitated abuse, including a recent pilot program in collaboration with the NSW Police, aimed at referring perpetrators of financial abuse to the authorities, with customer consent. By leveraging innovative technologies and partnerships, CBA continues to demonstrate its commitment to fostering a secure banking environment for all customers, particularly those in vulnerable situations.