Google Cloud and KPMG recently announced a substantial
expansion of their alliance to assist enterprises in integrating generative AI technologies into their operations. The collaboration will merge KPMG's proficiency in cloud computing, data analytics, and responsible AI with Google-Cloud's next-gen infrastructure and generative AI capabilities.
The
partnership aims to provide practical and real-world applications of generative
AI, creating value across numerous industries and empowering employees to adopt
data-driven decision-making.
Google Cloud is
focused on applying generative AI to practical, real-world use cases that will
create value across industries,” Thomas Kurian,
CEO of Google Cloud, said in a written statement. “Through our expanded alliance with KPMG, we will accelerate the
application of Google Cloud generative AI throughout the world’s largest
organizations, helping them deliver innovation and empower employees, create
more value from data, and more.”
The companies said the alliance’s expansion is in response to
the growing demand for AI and cloud-based services. As businesses seek to
accelerate their digital transformation and innovation, this collaboration will
equip clients with the necessary tools and expertise to fully leverage
generative AI and revolutionize their operations.
“As Google Cloud clients look to embed
Google’s generative AI capabilities into their business, our joint team will
help them to understand how it can fit into their broader business
transformation strategies,” Todd Lohr, U.S. technology consulting leader at KPMG, told
VentureBeat.
This
alliance extends the successful collaborations between KPMG and Google Cloud.
Lohr said that previous collaborations have included implementing cloud-based
intelligent conversational
AI for HSBC, providing critical medical
predictions from real-time data in the ICU, and offering a
360-degree customer view with
advanced analytics for a global life insurer.
Leveraging generative AI for data-driven decision making
KPMG
plans to invest significantly in the rapid training of its team of Google Cloud
experts to meet the increasing demand for Google Cloud’s AI innovations. The
company told VentureBeat that this would further enable them to assist clients
in integrating Google Cloud’s generative AI technologies into their offices and
empower them to achieve business objectives efficiently.
According
to Lohr, the collaboration is a fusion of KPMG’s industry-leading expertise in
cloud transformation, analytics and responsible AI with Google Cloud’s reliable
infrastructure and cutting-edge generative AI capabilities. These capabilities
include Google Cloud’s
Vertex AI and generative AI app builder products, their large
language models (LLMs), and other tools.
“KPMG
has focused on expanding our partnership over the past 12 months, building a
robust network of certified Google Cloud practitioners (doubling it), as well
as a catalog of client successes across multiple industries,” said Lohr. “We intend to expand this practice to meet
the market demands of this rapidly developing space.”
Initially,
the partnership will concentrate on assisting clients in the financial
services, healthcare and retail industries. Lohr said that these industries are
already experiencing the immediate impact of generative AI, and the partnership
aims to help organizations in the space with data-driven transformation and
decision-making.
“These industries all have potential use cases
across the front, middle and back offices that stand to benefit from generative
AI. Our experience shows that the organizations that benefit the most from
emerging technologies are those that develop a cohesive strategy rather than
operating in siloes,” explained Lohr. “Additionally,
these three industries are areas where KPMG and Google Cloud have a strong
track record of client success, including the use of AI. This allows us to
build on our past portfolio of work and use cases and integrate the
capabilities into cloud implementation journeys that are already well
underway.”
Ensuring
responsible AI adoption
Lohr
said that the companies would closely monitor how their joint services will
impact existing business models and potentially create new ones. They will also
consider the implications for talent strategy and how clients can ensure they
have the appropriate risk and responsible use controls and governance.
“Over
the past 10 years, KPMG has developed robust AI security and responsible
frameworks to help clients confidently adopt emerging technologies. KPMG is
applying these tried-and-trusted approaches to rapidly develop new solutions
while prioritizing protection and adhering to the principles of responsible
AI,” Lohr told VentureBeat. “Trust
continues to be a priority for KPMG and is at the center of everything we do.
Combining these capabilities with the secure Google Cloud platform means that
we can help our clients adopt these capabilities confidently at scale.”
Lohr
emphasized that offering clients generative AI and analytics solutions on a
secure cloud platform creates an agile and flexible environment, enabling them
to quickly adapt and scale their generative AI capabilities while adapting to
the constantly evolving industry landscape.
“Combining KPMG’s industry knowledge and
functional expertise with Google Cloud technology, KPMG can help businesses
harness the potential of generative AI and analytics to quickly adapt in the
face of market volatility. We will develop solutions that allow clients to use
generative AI to conduct rapid data analysis, putting data at their fingertips
to improve decision-making,” he added.
Lohr
believes that generative AI will unlock significant economic value for businesses
and society. However, he emphasized that it is also important to have
responsible and secure practices in place when dealing with such technology.
“Together with our clients, we expect to
innovate, learn and build on the potential of the technology,” he said. “While
our initial alliance is focused on three industries in the U.S., we will scale
over time, helping clients across industries to reimagine their ways of working
and creating value.”
Source: VentureBeat.com
