Telstra has brought on Accenture and Microsoft as it explores using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools to enhance customer experience. The two tools - One Sentence Summary and Ask Telstra, were developed to provide teams with information to support “more successful interactions” with customers. One Sentence Summary uses Azure OpenAI’s large language model to take customer notes, interactions and transactions and summarises them into a customer’s history and status. Meanwhile, Ask Telstra allows employees to search the company’s knowledge base and is powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI Search. Following a trial period of both services, the telco plans to roll them out to all of its contact centre and store teams throughout 2024. Telstra worked with Microsoft and Accenture to develop the solutions. Karthik Narain, group executive of technology at Accenture, said that he hoped the project will encourage “further advancements through data and AI”. “Our deep partnership with Telstra is focused on accelerating its efforts to become an AI-fuelled organisation,” he said. “By radically simplifying and modernising legacy data estates, Telstra is building a secure digital core to adopt and scale more advanced generative AI capabilities. “In addition, Telstra’s approach to developing and maintaining responsible and ethical AI is recognised by global industry bodies and will serve as a benchmark.” Kim Krogh Andersen, Telstra group executive of product and technology, added that working with Accenture has helped the telco “accelerate the work we have ahead”. “We’re at a profound juncture in a new era of transformation, and it's one that we're navigating in lockstep with our partners. Our deep, strategic relationship with Microsoft is positioning us well to unlock value and growth as technologies like generative AI proliferate at speed,” he said. “We’ve been on a journey of simplification and modernisation over a number of years. We've simplified our technology architecture and shifted to a 100 per cent API- [application programming interface] first approach to product development. We’re also migrating workloads to the public cloud and building reusable AI capabilities. “The combination of Telstra's assets, Microsoft's leadership in AI and Accenture's leadership and capabilities that can help make it happen; that's really what this is all about. It's really about finding the best in this specific areas and work together to make something that is meaningful.” Steven Worrall, managing director of Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, added that it was "exciting to see Telstra continue its leadership in AI", by harnessing the power of the Microsoft Cloud and Azure OpenAI Service to enhance their employee’s productivity and increase customer satisfaction," Worrall said. “We are proud to be a part of this journey and look forward to seeing the continued impact these AI solutions have on Telstra’s frontline workers and more broadly across the organisation.” Telstra has previously flagged its intentions to look into AI, signing a joint venture with Quantium in December 2022. At the time, Andersen said that the “delivery of end-to-end data and AI services is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity in Australia and the joint venture is well-positioned to capture a share of this opportunity”.