The Comptroller of the Currency looks to level up its generative AI offerings

The banking regulator says in an RFI that it wants to “mature and develop” its AI and machine-learning capabilities.

December 20, 2024

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Michael Hsu, acting director of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, listens during a hearing with the Senate Banking Committee on Capitol Hill on May 18, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is seeking information on generative artificial intelligence services to support the agency’s internally developed and contractor-provided AI tools.

In an RFI published this week, the OCC — an independent Treasury Department bureau charged with chartering, regulating and supervising all national banks — said it has implemented “proprietary tools” in machine-learning platforms and within Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI system. But now, the agency’s Information and Technology Services Division is “seeking to mature and develop” its AI and machine-learning capabilities.

Among the tools currently in development at the agency are OCC-Chat, a ChatGPT-esque text-to-text tool that was scheduled to move to production this month, and various AI/ML prototype applications — including OCC-infoAssist, Document Insights, Comment Analytics, and Issue Analytics — that will leverage tech from Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and others.

“The OCC aims to scale its AI/ML infrastructure to support additional models, incorporate innovative functionalities, and improve the generated information to ensure robust and reliable AI-driven solutions,” the RFI states, noting that current efforts are handled by either the agency’s Solutions Lab or its GenAI Service Delivery Team. “Over the next five years, there are plans for substantial growth and integration of these and other developing technologies.”

The OCC’s scope of work for generative AI support goes beyond the maturing of AI/ML initiatives; the agency said it also needs help for the implementation of those technologies, operational maintenance technical services, and gen AI “capability tuning to improve the utility of AI for OCC business functions.”

Contractors will be asked to analyze the OCC’s current AI environment and provide recommendations for best practices and how the agency can bolster its use of generative AI. They will also be charged with developing a continuous improvement plan, strategizing how to integrate approved AI and ML architecture in systems, managing knowledge transfer sessions, and communicating changes to stakeholders, among other related tasks.

Responses to the OCC’s RFI are due by Jan 8, 2025.