By Anna Irrera | NEW YORK

NEW YORK Wells Fargo & Co has created a team to develop artificial intelligence-based technology and appointed a lead for its newly combined payments businesses, as part of an ongoing push to strengthen its digital offerings.

Wells Fargo's AI team will work on creating technology that can help the bank provide more personalized customer service through its bankers and online, the bank said on Friday. It will be led by Steve Ellis, head of Wells Fargo's innovation group.

Well Fargos AI focus comes as banks and other large financial institutions increase their investment in the emerging technology which seeks to train computers to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence.

Projects range from systems that can spot payments fraud or misconduct by employees, to technology that can make more personal recommendations on financial products to clients.

The bank also announced that it had appointed Danny Peltz, head of treasury, merchant and payment solutions, to head business development and strategy for its combined payments businesses.

Peltz's group, which comprises of the bank's consumer, small business, commercial and corporate banking payments businesses, will also be tasked with establishing relationship with other companies in the payments landscape. It will also be in charge of the bank's new API (application program interface) services, or technology that allows customers to integrate Wells Fargo products and services into their own applications.

Both teams will report into Avid Modjtabai, head of payments, virtual solutions and innovation. Modjtabai's division was set up in October as part of efforts to enhance the bank's digital products and services by combining its innovation teams with some of the businesses most affected by changes in technology such as payments.

(This version of the story was refiled to correct paragraph 6 typographical error to Peltz instead of Pelz)

(Reporting by Anna Irrera; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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Wells Fargo sets up artificial intelligence team in tech push - Reuters