Technology companies are increasingly using their own artificial intelligence models as they seek to demonstrate the transformative potential of this fast-evolving field to would-be buyers.
There is a growing trend of tech companies adopting AI extensively inside their own organisations before offering it to customers. From software development and detection of IT issues to human resources and marketing, the sector is deploying AI applications across a wide range of daily opera
One adopter of this approach is IBM. Joanne Wright, senior vice-president of transformation and operations at the US tech group, says IBM’s internal AskHR chatbot has handled 94 per cent of staff queries about human resources since last year.
The tool uses generative AI to produce answers based on a pool of policy documents. Wright says AI has helped accelerate the process of promoting employees by automating “smaller, time-consuming tasks”, giving managers more time to coach staff and discuss career growth opportunities with them.
IBM is also using AI to review every contract that passes its mergers and acquisitions desk. According to Wright, the tool scans for contractual terminology that does not align with IBM policy and flags it for review. This has led to the identification of “30 times more non-compliant terms”.
Wright says the use of AI within the business has “freed up millions of hours” across the 270,000-strong global workforce, allowing staff to “focus on strategic, creative and high-impact work”. This comes as IBM announced in early November that it intends to cut a “low single-digit percentage” of positions, which is expected to affect several thousand jobs.
A similar pattern is emerging at US software developer Asana, which is also using AI extensively across its internal workflows. The company has rolled out AI across its engineering, customer service, go-to-market and marketing teams using it to generate and test code, respond to customer queries, identify and prioritise prospects, and manage campaigns.
While these initiatives have driven “strong performance” across the business, chief information officer Saket Srivastava says whether they work or not comes down to specifying “clear owners, baselines, and success metrics”.
Internal AI usage is widespread at cyber security company SentinelOne, too. In fact, Gregor Stewart, vice-president of AI and machine learning, says most of its employees rely on one or more AI tools to do their jobs.
The company recently rolled out an AI coding tool called Windsurf across its 800-strong engineering team, which also uses AI for testing the quality of code and addressing bugs. “It’s an exciting time,” he says. “We’re seeing huge potential in how these technologies could reshape the way we work.”
In Europe, French digital automation and energy management specialist Schneider Electric has created a dedicated chief AI officer position. Philippe Rambach, who has been overseeing the rollout of AI across the company for the past four years, says the technology is “improving productivity, accuracy, and speed” in every part of the business.
Many of the internal AI tools implemented by Schneider are specially designed to suit the specific roles and responsibilities of each department. For instance, its salespeople have access to a tool that helps them come up with proposals by trawling through “millions of historical quotes”, says Rambach.
The company has also used AI to help with the planning of electrification projects, deploying technicians in the field, developing software and communicating with customers.
To ensure employees use each of these tools effectively and responsibly, the company has created its own AI governance model, which Rambach says, “empowers business units while maintaining strategic alignment”.
