ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SUCCESS OF DEPOSIT MONEY BANKS IN SOUTH EAST, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption and the organizational success of deposit money banks in South East Nigeria. The growing complexity and competitiveness of the banking sector have necessitated the integration of advanced technologies to improve profitability and customer satisfaction.. Specifically, the study investigated the relationship between AI-based fraud detection systems on profitability and AI-powered chatbots on customer satisfaction. Anchored on the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, the research conceptualizes AI capabilities as strategic resources that, when effectively deployed, provide sustainable competitive advantage. A descriptive survey design was employed, targeting 3246 employees with a sample size of 356 employeses across five Tier-1 banks in the region. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation via SPSS. Findings revealed very strong positive correlations between AI fraud detection and profitability (r = 0.947, p < 0.01), and AI-powered chatbots and customer satisfaction (r = 0.971, p < 0.01), indicating that AI adoption significantly had positive relationship between financial performance and service quality. The study highlights the importance of strategic alignment, workforce training, and technological investment to optimize AI deployment. These results underscore AI as a critical tool for organisational success, thereby suggesting that sustained investment in AI infrastructure and ethical governance can strengthen competitiveness and long-term growth of banks in the digital economy.