Accenture and Microsoft are establishing a copilot business transformation practice to assist enterprises in reimagining their business operations using Copilot technologies and both generative and agentic AI in response to the growing need for AI transformation.

The consulting firm’s joint venture with Microsoft, Avanade, and Accenture comprise 5,000 people. The Accenture Center for Advanced AI and Microsoft product experts will collaborate closely to help them. Together, they will work on AI and Copilot agent templates, extensions, plugins, and connectors to enable businesses use their data and use AI to cut expenses, boost productivity, and spur expansion, they announced Thursday.

According to Accenture and Avanade, they have already created a few AI solutions for these uses. A supplier discovery and risk agent, for instance, can provide rapid supply chain reactions, real-time market data, and improved vendor selection, all of which might save up to 15% on costs. Additionally, by handling urgent payment needs and preventing interruptions of essential services, a procure-to-pay agent could increase vendor relations and satisfaction while increasing efficiency by up to 40%.

They have also used Microsoft 365 Copilot technology to create solutions for its clients. For instance, they have developed Copilots for a number of sectors and roles, such as manufacturing, supply chain, retail, consumer products, healthcare, and finance.

Using a “Azure Generative AI Engineer Nanodegree program,” which teaches users how to design, develop, and operationalize AI-driven apps on Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, is another aspect of the new profession that will involve training clients on how to use the technology. According to the companies, the online courses will instruct students on how to apply AI models to automate tasks, gain insights from data, and create generative AI solutions.

“We are pleased to deepen our collaboration with Accenture to help our mutual customers develop AI-first business processes responsibly and securely, while helping them drive market differentiation,” Judson Althoff, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Microsoft, said in a release. “By bringing together Copilots and human ambition, paired with the autonomous capabilities of an agent, we can accelerate AI transformation for organizations across industries and help them realize successful business outcomes through pragmatic innovation.”