In a strategic collaboration, Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Unilever, the consumer goods giant, are teaming up to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and drive disruptive innovations at scale. Unilever, known for its extensive portfolio of 400+ brands used by 3.4 billion people daily, will work with Accenture to enhance productivity, optimize efficiency, and accelerate the implementation of AI technologies.
The collaboration kicks off from Unilever’s global AI Lab, Horizon3 Labs, situated in Toronto—one of Accenture’s Gen AI studios in North America. The partnership aims to explore novel applications to scale generative AI, leveraging assets like Accenture’s AI Navigator and its proprietary “switchboard,” enabling users to select a combination of models tailored to specific business contexts.
Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO of Accenture, highlighted the collaboration’s significance, building on a relationship of over three decades with Unilever. She expressed confidence that the collaboration would expedite Unilever’s journey in scaling AI and generative AI responsibly, unlocking new avenues of value creation.
“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.”
Steve McCrystal, chief enterprise and technology officer, Unilever.
This initiative will tap into Accenture’s $3 billion investment in data and AI, leveraging industry solutions and accelerators. Accenture will connect Unilever with its top data and AI experts, facilitating access to Accenture’s ecosystem partnerships, ventures, and strategic investments within its Center for Advanced AI. With over 1,450 pending and issued patents in AI solutions, coupled with insights from more than 300 generative AI projects, Accenture aims to drive impactful AI-powered innovations in collaboration with Unilever.
