PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is set to become the largest customer and the first reseller of OpenAI’s enterprise product.
The consulting firm announced that it will deploy ChatGPT Enterprise (the ChatGPT version designed for large organizations) across its workforce. This includes 75,000 employees in the U.S. and 26,000 in the U.K., totalling over 100,000 licenses for the AI product, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
Last year, the accounting and consulting giant announced a $1 billion investment in GenAI for its U.S. operations spanning three years. Joe Atkinson, chief products and technology officer, PwC US, stated that Wednesday’s deal is an "evolution" of the previous investment. According to a PwC spokesperson, the agreement with OpenAI is part of the $1 billion investment initiative.
PwC has been focusing on training its staff on AI, creating its own AI tools for clients, and updating its consulting technology and operations with AI, since last year, Atkinson added. “As this continues to evolve, I expect that billion dollars to grow across our network."
Consulting firms have been among the first to leverage the new tech. This is because companies are now increasingly looking for assistance in leveraging GenAI. Firms like Accenture, KPMG, and Ernst & Young have also invested heavily in generative AI to boost their client services.
However, most companies are still cautiously entering the GenAI space, often starting with simple tasks, like automating customer service or summarizing emails with the guidance of vendors or consultants before creating their own AI models.
According to Gartner, businesses worldwide are expected to spend around $1.52 trillion on IT services this year, up by 9.7 per cent compared to last year. The market research and consulting firm also stated that enterprises are now spending more on IT consulting than on internal staff for the first time, as they struggle to attract AI talent compared to IT service firms.
