Accenture, Unilever collaborate on AI innovation for business advancement

IT services company Accenture has joined hands with multinational consumer goods firm Unilever to tap into Unilever's AI research and technology implementation.  

The collaboration aims to enhance productivity, drive efficiencies, and accelerate disruptive AI-powered innovations on a large scale. As per the company the collaboration will kick off from Unilever's recently opened global AI Lab, Horizon3 Labs, located in Toronto. Accenture also has one of its six Gen AI studios in North America. 

The joint efforts will focus on exploring new applications to scale generative AI. This may involve utilising assets from Accenture's AI Navigator or its proprietary “switchboard”, enabling users to select a combination of models to address specific business contexts. 

Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture said, “This collaboration builds on our relationship of more than three decades with Unilever, which continues to raise the bar as a digital powerhouse and industry leader. The combination of Horizon3Labs’ disruptive innovation with Accenture’s deep expertise and strong ecosystem partnerships will help Unilever scale AI and generative AI more rapidly and responsibly across its business and discover new pathways to value.” 

"We are excited about building on our long-standing partnership with Accenture to step up our innovation agenda and drive value for our consumers, retailers, and distributors. Horizon3 Labs is a unique platform for collaboration and co-creation, and we look forward to working with Accenture and other partners to take our investment in AI to a new level,” said Steve McCrystal, chief enterprise and technology officer, Unilever. 

This initiative aligns with Accenture's previously announced $3 billion investment in data and AI. As part of this investment, Unilever will benefit from Accenture's extensive expertise, ecosystem partnerships, and strategic investments in its Center for Advanced AI.