DBS is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to equip at least 3,000 of the bank's employees - including senior leadership - with new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) skills by the end of this year, through gamified learning.

This is meant to accelerate the use of AI and ML across its business, the bank said in a press statement on Monday.

Both companies jointly launched the DBS x AWS DeepRacer League, which will enable DBS employees to learn the basics of AI and ML through a series of hands-on online tutorials.

They will then put their new knowledge to the test by programming their own autonomous model race car.

These ML models will be uploaded onto a virtual racing environment where the employees can experiment and iteratively finetune their models as they engage each other in friendly competition.

Paul Cobban, chief data and transformation officer at DBS, said the bank introduced gamification elements to better engage its employees and to keep work and learning fun.

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While smaller corporate AWS DeepRacer Leagues have been organised in other parts of the world, this is the largest among Asian-headquartered enterprises and one of the first globally to be organised at scale by a financial institution, DBS said.

Powered by AWS, the league will run entirely online - from classroom to racetrack - as part of DBS's drive to ingrain digital learning behaviours among its workforce.

This comes as DBS is scaling up its digital learning tools and platforms so that employees can upgrade their skills and pick up new knowledge even when they are not physically in the office.

The bank continues to experiment with emerging technologies. For instance, last year, it digitalised and simplified end-to-end credit processing, setting the foundation for advanced credit risk management using data analytics and ML.

DBS has also deployed an AI-powered engine to provide accurate self-service digital options to retail customers based on their digital footprint.