Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has introduced an extensive range of new services aimed at assisting companies in tailoring and expanding the benefits of generative AI. 

“Generative AI is accelerating reinvention and delivering value to our clients’ businesses faster,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO of Accenture. “In order to move from experimentation to scaled implementation, our clients need a strong data and AI foundation, which is underpinned by large language models that are tailored to meet their specific business needs, along with the training needed for their people to use and manage those models. Our new foundation model customisation services help our clients accelerate access and contextualise enterprise data to drive tangible value from generative AI.  

The newly launched services introduce a proprietary model called "switchboard" that allows users to choose different models based on factors like cost or accuracy. For instance, a major entertainment company is testing this switchboard to compare interpretations of the same prompt by various models.  

The services also include customisation for specific business needs, data sources, and ongoing fine-tuning. Accenture provides training and certification programs to help clients effectively manage large-language models (LLMs). The company collaborates with academic institutions and offers certifications through its Foundation Model Scholar Program in partnership with the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI.   

For example, many insurance industry employees review a lot of documentation to serve policyholders, which Accenture expects to benefit from generative AI and illustrates what Hartford is aiming to address in its collaboration with Accenture.   

“We are pleased to collaborate with Accenture to help fully leverage the power of generative AI as part of our aggressive technology agenda,” said Deepa Soni, chief information officer of The Hartford. “Our advanced architecture and ability to customise generative AI models will enhance our employees' work across the value chain, further positioning us to serve our customers, agents, and shareholders.”   

"Companies that want to harness the power of generative AI will need an array of specialized models,” added Karthik Narain, group chief executive of Accenture Technology. “Our switchboard is designed to enable companies to do this at scale while managing costs and carbon footprint, aligning the right models to the business context. Our set of customization services can help companies contextualise AI models for their unique needs, transforming every link in their value chain.” 
Building on its $3 billion investment in AI, Accenture’s foundation model services and its proprietary LLM assets were developed by its Center for Advanced AI. Accenture has more than 1,450 pending and issued patents in AI, including proprietary capabilities in generative AI, such as fine-tuning, prompt engineering, and model architecture.