Mitsubishi UFJ Financial (TYO:8306) will begin deploying in-house artificial intelligence assistants alongside staff as early as this month, targeting productivity gains across about 20 tasks as it accelerates company-wide adoption of AI, Nikkei reported Tuesday.

Developed by MUFG's digital strategy division with support from subsidiary Japan Digital Design, the "AI employees" will handle roles such as drafting speeches and answering procedural questions from new hires. Some assistants will use models from OpenAI, according to the report.

MUFG plans to treat the AI agents much like human employees, moving them through stages from hiring and training to placement, with full rollout from fiscal 2026. The group expects midcareer hires to exceed half of recruitment by fiscal 2026, increasing demand for automated support, the report said.

MUFG plans to invest 60 billion yen in AI through fiscal 2026 and projects a positive impact of about 30 billion yen from efficiency gains and revenue contributions, according to the report.

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