Colonial First State finds at least three use cases for Azure OpenAI

Colonial First State has identified at least three use cases for the Azure OpenAI service in work with Microsoft and Avanade.

Colonial First State's Jeroen Buwalda.

The generative AI service is being put to work analysing member feedback, on answering questions from an “extensive library of superannuation legislation, and in helping contact centre agents find information faster.

The work will continue and potentially expand under a five-year agreement covering Colonial First State’s (CFS) use of Azure cloud services and generative AI technology.

CFS is described as an existing “heavy” Azure user.

The agreement, according to a joint statement, also signals “an expansion of Copilot” for Microsoft 365 across the CFS workforce.

Currently about three-quarters of its workforce have access to the tool.

Group executive of transformation, technology and operations Jeroen Buwalda said the “extended partnership with Microsoft places us in a strong position to harness these technologies.”

“It will enable CFS to identify new and innovative ways to deliver enhanced services for our members and the financial advisers we work with,” he said.

CFS recently set up a new enterprise data platform on Azure and Databricks, with the help of Versent.