LONDON, April 23 (Reuters) - Britain's NatWest has identified more than 100 priority areas where Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to simplify the bank and boost efficiency following a bank-wide review, Chief Executive Paul Thwaite said on Tuesday.

The projects will help improve staff engagement and increase productivity, Thwaite said in a statement released to coincide with the bank's annual shareholder meeting in Edinburgh.

"The programmes and pilots we ran in 2023 have shown us the potential," Thwaite said, pointing to the consolidation of five legacy systems into one single platform for retail customers. (Reporting Lawrence White, editing by Sinead Cruise)