Over the next few weeks, you may encounter a robot at a branch of HDFC Bank as the country’s second largest private sector lender tries to match Japanese players that have launched humanoids.

Taking a cue from Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, which launched a robot named Nao last year, and Mizuho Bank’s Pepper, HDFC Bank has launched ‘Project AI’ (artificial intelligence) where the first product is now ready for deployment. Sources said the plan is to introduce the robot, whose name is being finalised, in one of HDFC Bank’s branches and, based on the experience, the project may be scaled up.

Unlike Pepper, which analyses customer behaviour and provides a variety of services, HDFC Bank’s first robot will only perform a limited role, acting largely as a receptionist.  it will greet a person entering the branch with options such as cash withdrawal or deposit, forex, fixed deposits and demat services displaying on the screen. Once the customer punches in the selection, a layout of the branch will appear on the screen with a “Take me there” option.