KPMG Australia, PwC back generative AI

KPMG Australia and PwC Australia have joined enterprise users in creating experiments and production use cases for generative AI technology, both based on ChatGPT.

KPMG Australia has introduced a proprietary version of ChatGPT for internal employee use called KymChat.

In the same space, PwC said it is making use of a similar generative AI tool called Harvey, which is underpinned by OpenAI and ChatGPT technology.

Unveiling KymChat

KPMG Australia is one of a select few companies to be granted access to develop a private version of the tool, via a partnership with Microsoft.

Launched internally in beta mode yesterday afternoon, KymChat enables staff to access the digital assistant on their desktop and phone.

It will let staff use the technology in the workplace without requiring client data to leave the KPMG environment.

The AI service will enable KPMG to train its own AI model for specific purposes, and can be directly integrated with Microsoft Teams, with further new features and capabilities planned.

First use cases of the technology are expected to concentrate on automating or refining systems including upgrading team directories for greater ease of locating colleagues.

“This proprietary solution will support the firm’s culture of innovation, boost efficiencies and create a better people experience,” chief digital officer John Munnelly said.

“The information provided will better enable cross-team collaboration and help those new to the firm with a more seamless and efficient people-navigation experience.”

Munnelly said its still “early days” but predicted “the KymChat model to rapidly improve as we add new data and train it to perform new tasks”

“We’ll continually add new use cases – including some from an internal staff crowd-sourcing exercise that has already generated over 60 ideas.

“KymChat is just the start of KPMG’s AI journey, and in time will be one of many products within our broader AI strategy,” Munnelly said.

Meet PwC's Harvey 

PwC professionals across over 100 countries, including Australia, will have access to the Harvey technology, which is also based on ChatGPT.

Planned use cases for Harvey cover legal and taxation work. These could include contract analysis, regulatory compliance, claims management, due diligence and broader legal advisory and legal consulting services.

The company plans to further develop and train its own proprietary AI models in these areas as well.

Harvey is expected to deliver greater information faster with insights generated and supervised by PwC professionals assessed for AI-responsible use.

In a statement, PwC Australia financial advisory managing partner Pete Calleja said Harvey is “about revolutionising the way we provide legal services to our clients” and will be “a transformative platform for our clients, and for our people”.