TL;DR:
- IBM Consulting established a Center of Excellence (CoE) for Generative AI, staffed by over 1,000 specialized consultants.
- The CoE aims to transform core business processes and customer experiences through generative AI adoption.
- IBM Consulting has a strong track record in enterprise-grade AI, with extensive client engagements and partnerships.
- Generative AI is rapidly growing, with businesses leveraging it to improve customer service and seize new market opportunities.
- IBM’s watsonx platform enables scaling and accelerating the impact of advanced AI models with trusted data.
- The CoE focuses on a composable, multi-model strategy and a human-centric, principled approach to enterprise AI.
- Generative AI is being used across various domains, including finance, HR, supply chain, marketing, customer service, and IT services.
- The CoE utilizes the full generative AI technology stack, including foundation models and domain-specific accelerators.
- IBM Consulting takes an open ecosystem approach, collaborating with industry leaders to deliver tailored AI solutions.
- The CoE addresses concerns such as bias mitigation, data security, and AI model responsibility.
- IBM Consulting’s expertise in AI and ethical practices is recognized, positioning them as a leader in the AI services market.
Main AI News:
IBM Consulting, a renowned leader in the field of enterprise-grade AI, has made a groundbreaking announcement regarding the establishment of its Center of Excellence (CoE) for Generative AI. With a team of over 1,000 highly skilled consultants specializing in generative AI, IBM Consulting aims to revolutionize core business processes such as supply chain management, finance, talent acquisition, customer experiences, and IT operations for its global clientele. The CoE will serve as a hub for driving transformative change through the power of generative AI.
Over the years, IBM Consulting has successfully aided numerous clients in harnessing the potential of generative AI, including prestigious names like The Masters and Mitsui Chemicals. Leveraging their extensive experience with enterprise-grade AI, IBM’s 21,000 data and AI consultants have conducted an impressive 40,000 engagements with enterprise clients. Additionally, clients will have access to cutting-edge technology from IBM’s partner ecosystem, including the newly announced IBM watsonx. This advanced platform is designed to scale and accelerate the impact of the most sophisticated AI models by leveraging trusted data.
According to John Granger, Senior Vice President at IBM Consulting, the CoE has experienced a remarkable start. In the year 2023 alone, IBM Consulting has interacted with over 100 clients and completed numerous engagements, seamlessly integrating generative AI alongside classical machine learning AI strategies. Notable achievements include delivering AI-generated spoken sports commentary to millions of fans at The Masters, combining generative AI with IBM Watson® to discover new applications for Mitsui Chemicals products, and employing generative AI in the customer relationship process at Bouygues Telecom.
IBM Consulting’s early work with foundation models has yielded impressive results, with some clients experiencing up to a 70% acceleration in time-to-value compared to traditional AI approaches. The exponential growth of generative AI is evident, as businesses across industries embrace its potential to enhance customer service, explore new market opportunities, and more. In fact, IDC estimates that the AI Services market will grow from approximately US$36 billion in 2023 to a staggering US$65 billion by 2026.
However, with the rapid adoption of generative AI comes the need for addressing concerns such as bias mitigation, data security management, precision, and risk management. IBM Consulting’s extensive experience in AI highlights the importance of adopting a composable, multi-model strategy and a principled, human-centric approach to achieve enterprise AI at scale.
A recent survey conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value revealed that executives from various industries are actively implementing generative AI in different domains. Finance (34%), HR (41%), supply chain (45%), marketing and sales (40%), customer service (57%), and IT services and technology (63%) were identified as key areas where generative AI is being utilized. By automating routine tasks, generative AI empowers workers to focus on high-value activities while leveraging innovative capabilities such as creative content and code creation, content summarization, and search. The survey further revealed that executives anticipate nearly half (48%) of their organization’s staff will be utilizing generative AI to augment their daily tasks within the next year.
To drive productivity and foster innovation, the CoE will utilize the entire generative AI technology stack, which includes foundation models and more than 50 domain-specific classical machine learning accelerators. Additionally, IBM Consulting’s proprietary AI “advisor” toolkit will be employed to enhance internal operations and client delivery. Collaborating closely with clients and partners, the CoE will develop new solutions and assets, capitalizing on the pipeline of generative AI innovations from IBM Research.
IBM Consulting’s vision extends to watsonx3, their next-generation platform for AI and data. This platform is specifically designed to empower enterprises to scale and accelerate the impact of the most advanced AI models while leveraging trusted data. Drawing parallels to the success of IBM’s Hybrid Cloud services business built on the Red Hat® OpenShift® platform, IBM Consulting aims to become the leading consulting services provider for watsonx. By establishing a watsonx-focused practice, IBM Consulting plans to offer deep expertise in the full generative AI technology stack, including foundation models, AIOps, DataOps, and AI governance mechanisms. Simultaneously, they aim to expand their consulting business through strategic partnerships.
IBM Consulting adopts an open and collaborative approach to AI, ensuring that generative AI solutions are planned, built, implemented, and operated using multiple models on multiple clouds from industry leaders. This open ecosystem approach enables clients to define the most suitable models and architecture to achieve optimal outcomes. Leveraging their unique skills in IBM technology and working closely with a diverse AI partner ecosystem, which includes renowned names like Adobe, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, Salesforce, SAP, and open-source technologies, IBM Consulting ensures that clients benefit from tailored technology solutions that meet their specific needs.
The IBM Institute for Business Value conducted recent research that indicated 79% of executives face challenges in ensuring the responsibility, security, and absence of discrimination and bias in their AI models. The newly established CoE builds upon IBM Consulting’s decades of experience in the industry, where they have played a pivotal role in transforming mission-critical processes for some of the largest organizations globally. With their consultants possessing great skills in applying an ethically responsible approach to AI, IBM Consulting continues to deliver significant business value alongside AI. Their capabilities have been recognized by industry experts, as IBM was recently named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Artificial Intelligence Services 2023 Vendor Assessment for the second time.
Conlcusion:
The establishment of IBM Consulting’s Center of Excellence for Generative AI signifies a significant milestone in the market. With their extensive expertise, collaborative approach, and focus on ethical practices, IBM Consulting is well-positioned to drive transformative change and deliver innovative AI solutions to businesses worldwide. The rapid growth of generative AI presents immense opportunities for organizations to enhance their operations, improve customer experiences, and gain a competitive edge. By leveraging its technological capabilities and strategic partnerships, IBM Consulting is poised to lead the way in shaping the future of generative AI and driving meaningful business outcomes.
