Allied Bank Limited is a Pakistani commercial bank offering conventional and Islamic banking services through branches and digital channels. To improve service navigation and encourage the use of digital banking, the bank introduced Pepper, an AI-powered humanoid robot, at its Head Office Lobby and Digital Lounge in Lahore.

Pepper provides information about banking products and services, answers routine customer questions and guides visitors through the bank’s digital channels. The system combines voice recognition, conversational AI, a controlled knowledge base and interactive screen and movement features to support customer engagement.

The initiative was designed to make banking information more accessible, reduce pressure on branch staff and engage customers who are familiar with conversational digital technologies. Allied Bank worked with Jacky’s Business Solutions to customise the software, integrate large language model capabilities and adapt the interface from Chinese to English.

Since its launch, Pepper has interacted with more than 1.8 million customers and visitors and addressed approximately 16,500 queries. The case illustrates how banks can use AI-enabled interfaces to support routine customer service while allowing employees to focus on more complex interactions requiring human judgement and advice.