IBM recently gathered with our services partners, some of the world’s most prominent consultancies and systems integrators, to discuss AI for business at the IBM Global Systems Integrators and Consultancy Exchange event in New York.

On the front-line guiding client technology decisions, our services partners are crucial to the IBM Ecosystem and our success. They play a fundamental role in providing our joint clients industry expertise and skills, mapped to our generative AI technology.

Throughout the event, there was unanimous agreement that governance and trust are critical for hardening generative AI for real world applications. Early conversations with clients have to include a discussion around ethics, transparency and trust because you can’t have a generative AI strategy without considering how you are going to govern it. IBM’s approach to trustworthy AI puts ethical principles at the core of our generative AI technology, fostering an open and diverse ecosystem to ensure generative AI technology benefits everyone.

Another important theme was how generative AI is a catalyst to help clients strategize holistically rather than focus on individual technology initiatives like application modernization, cloud migration and cybersecurity alone.

Our partners also shared their insights from generative AI uses cases across clients. Some of the real-world applications of generative AI our partners are actively working with clients on include:

Customer service

Customer service has leapfrogged other functions to become CEOs’ #1 generative AI priority. According to the IBM study, The CEO’s guide to generative AI: Customer service, 63% of CIOs say by the end of 2023 they will have already invested in generative AI use cases to serve agents directly, including deploying generative AI for agent training.​

IBM watsonx Assistant helps deliver consistent and intelligent customer service solutions with conversational AI. IBM is working with our partners on multiple ways watsonx.ai can improve and enable customer care via email-based self-service capabilities, intelligent call routing, virtual agents, and customer agent assists.

Application modernization

Modernizing apps and data is central to 83% of C-Suite executive business strategy, according to The CEO’s guide to generative AI: Application modernization, and 89% of C-Suite executives agree generative AI in app modernization projects will drive growth by improving existing products and services. 

IBM watsonx Code Assistant products use tailored foundation models to transform code and generate code recommendations for developers. The solution provides pre-trained models based on specific programming languages to ensure trust and efficiency for accurate code generation.

Human Resources & Talent

Generative AI is redefining every job and task, from entry level to the executive suite. Customer service agents can use generative AI to offload routine questions. Coders can automate mundane programming and focus on improving code quality and security. HR specialists can step back from day-to-day processing to focus on growing talent.

IBM watsonx Orchestrate is helping HR professionals automate repetitive, high-friction tasks and back-office processes like interview scheduling or posting open jobs, through a conversational interface. This week for example, EY and IBM announced EY.ai Workforce, a new solution powered by IBM watsonx Orchestrate, that uses artificial intelligence to automate HR tasks and processes and transform operations.

Generative AI skills and expertise

Generative AI technology fundamentals are table stakes for consulting organizations and large systems integrators. Many are armed with skills earned through their own internal implementations and supporting their clients’ AI journey, but rapidly evolving generative AI technologies require deeper skill development. Client demand for solutions involving generative AI will only increase and IBM’s partner program, Partner Plus, offers access to IBM resources, incentives, and support to satisfy that demand.

That’s why we are hosting the watsonx Challenge for IBM Global Systems Integrators on the 26th October 2023. The hands-on coding challenge will enable our GSI partners to get hands-on with watsonx while further developing their skills in generative AI to meet their clients’ needs.

Generative AI technology is undeniably impacting how our clients access and use information. Trusted consultancies and systems integrators are crucial to identify the right client use-cases for generative AI and help implement these technologies. At IBM, we’ve curated a trusted ecosystem of partners with the right expertise, insight and skills to enable our clients worldwide.