 "WisdomNext to push generative AI play for Tata Consultancy Services")
IT services major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Friday announced the launch of TCS WisdomNext, a platform that aggregates multiple generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) services into a single interface.
The company also added that the platform approach allows organisations to rapidly adopt next-gen technologies at scale within regulatory frameworks and at lower costs.
The platform will be part of the newly-formed AI.Cloud unit of TCS.
The platform also brings in features of software-as-a-service (SaaS), where customers can compare various GenAI models from different vendors, experiment with different models in real-time, and also get the cost parameters.
According to the senior management of the company, the platform that has been in the making for close to three quarters has been seen by about 100 customers.
In the initial testing phase, TCS has already leveraged this powerful tool for many of its largest customers. Examples include fast-tracking sales for an outdoor advertising company in the US, with real-time inventory availability and quote generation with maps integration; enhancing productivity and efficiency across the application migration and modernisation lifecycle for a leading American insurance provider; and enhancing customer experience through a smart mortgage assistant for a leading bank in the UK.
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Harrick Vin, chief technology officer (CTO), TCS, said that GenAI is still an evolving technology and methodologies too are evolving.
“I think 2024 and beyond will be about how GenAI will deliver business value generation and scale. This is easier said than done. Finding what business issue should be solved to the technology that is required to solve it is a big and complex decision. Add to this the solution has to be responsible,” he added.
This point was also part of the issues raised by executives in an AI study conducted by TCS. TCS’ AI for Business Study found that while business executives are generally positive about the impact of AI, they are less certain about the path to transformation.
Siva Ganesan, head of the AI.Cloud unit, TCS, said, “Customers appreciate the newly-launched platform’s ability to help navigate a diverse and quickly evolving AI marketplace and rapidly compose 'art-of-the-possible' solutions. We are solving business problems and helping our customers redefine what it means to harness the power of GenAI. The rapid adoption of GenAI and experiencing what it means in terms of business outcomes is something our customers find very exciting.”
While the company did not quantify the impact of this on the revenue, the management believes that this will advance the deployment of GenAI among enterprises.
Analysts believe that this will allow TCS to differentiate its offering in the market, which is getting crowded with new offerings. “This brings a differentiated offering and focus for the customers. This also means the time to market solutions for customers also reduces. There are too many solutions in the market; this certainly brings the much-needed streamlining,” said Pareekh Jain, CEO of EIRTrends and Pareekh Consulting.
The comprehensive portfolio of GenAI services and solutions includes consulting and advisory, solution design and prototyping, large language model training and fine-tuning, guardrail agent design, project delivery, and ongoing maintenance.They also include a responsible AI framework to help enterprises navigate the ethical and safe uses of AI.
With over 300,000 associates trained on the foundational skills of AI/ML, including GenAI, TCS is also set to build one of the largest AI-ready workforces in the world.
The launch of the offerings are significant as clients have been evaluating budgets carefully with discretionary spends slowing down.
But TCS has seen an increase in engagements in the GenAI space. TCS — during its Q4 FY24 results — said its AI and Gen AI pipeline has touched $900 million. However, the deal size in this segment continues to be small.