Cognizant, Microsoft launch AI-driven innovation assistant

IT services and consulting company Cognizant, in collaboration with Microsoft Corp., has launched the Innovation Assistant, a generative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tool built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, which will augment Cognizant's internal innovation programme, Bluebolt.  

The Innovation Assistant is a tool designed to collect enterprise knowledge and enable creativity and innovation among Cognizant employees working to solve enterprise challenges. Through the assistant, Cognizant aims to transform human-machine collaboration through AI and advance innovation by leveraging technical and industry knowledge, the company said. 

In May last year, the IT services company partnered with Google to build on Google Cloud’s Generative AI technology with Cognizant’s AI domain expertise to create a healthcare large language model. It was designed to simplify and improve the accuracy of complex healthcare administrative tasks and strengthen business outcomes for healthcare organisations. 

"Together with Microsoft, we are harnessing the power of generative AI to revolutionise our approach to innovation, with the goal of ensuring we and our clients stay ahead in a rapidly evolving business environment," Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S said in a statement.

The assistant is integral to Cognizant's Bluebolt, which provides a framework for employees to contribute to the innovation process from ideation to implementation. For example, by harnessing generative AI for Bluebolt, employees can combine virtual guidance and real-world support for various enterprise use cases. The platform, built on the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, aims to enable enterprise customers to gain access to and leverage insights from data. 

"It's amazing to see the power of Gen AI to enable innovation at different levels of an organisation with Cognizant's Innovation Assistant. They have used AI to create a platform that unlocks the potential of individuals and teams," said Puneet Chandok, president, Microsoft India and South Asia. 

Cognizant said that the platform is designed to generate context-based ideas and solutions while safeguarding sensitive information and client confidentiality. It is aimed at upholding standards for responsible and ethical AI by focusing on safety, security, privacy, transparency and inclusion. 

In August 2023, Cognizant said it expects to invest approximately $1 billion in its gen AI capabilities over the next three years and that the company is infusing GenAI into all its core offerings.