Deloitte developed its own version of ChatGPT for its employees

Deloitte is building a chatbot UI for its 75,000 employees in Europe and the Middle East to create Power Point presentations, write emails and code. Main goal? Increase employee productivity.

The “Big Four” accountancy and consulting firm launched an internal tool called “PairD” in the UK for the first time in October. Another sign that consulting companies, and especially companies that provide professional services, are rushing to introduce artificial intelligence.

Employees were warned that the technology is still in development and that the new tool may give inaccurate information about people, places and facts.

Users were told to do their own due diligence and quality assurance to confirm the "accuracy" of the chatbot's results before using it for work, a person familiar with the matter told the Financial Times.

Unlike competing companies that have tied up with big players in the market such as ChatGPT, OpenAI and Harvey, Deloitte's AI chatbot was developed by an in-house AI institute.

The introduction of a tool like “PairD” shows how the professional services industry is increasingly using generative artificial intelligence to automate tasks.

Competitor PwC, also a member of the Big Four, is using AI-powered chatbots in its legal and tax departments to speed up the work of its employees by summarizing voluminous documents and identifying compliance issues. Law firm Allen & Overy has also created an AI contract negotiation tool that drafts new contracts that lawyers can then modify or use.

Deloitte stated that its “PairD” tool can be used by employees to respond to emails, prepare written content, write code to automate tasks, create presentations, conduct research and create meeting agendas.

The introduction of artificial intelligence comes at a time when firms such as Deloitte are looking to cut costs due to a slowdown in demand for some of their services. The "Big Four" - Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC - have announced layoff programs in recent months.

Costi Perricos, head of generative artificial intelligence at Deloitte, said that the launch of the “PairD” bot is part of their long-term investment plans in the field of artificial intelligence, as they continue to explore the possibilities that this technology can offer to the business, customers and society at large.

He added: “Employers must focus primarily on how to safely use these new tools so that they can be used properly and create value.”

Deloitte employees must complete a training module before accessing the tool.